


The Hacker and the Assassin: Enter the Canary

by cmdragonia



Series: The Hacker and the Assassin [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, League of Assassins Oliver Queen, League of Assassins Sara Lance, Season 2 AU, Some angst, the slowest of slow burns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-08-30 04:16:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16757512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmdragonia/pseuds/cmdragonia
Summary: Everything has been going great for Felicity since the Undertaking.  But when a female vigilante shows up in the Glades, Felicity gets drawn into yet another adventure.Updates every Tuesday/Thursday





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to my little Universe!!!! I am absolutely floored by all the love for the first part of this series, and I am so excited to share the next part with you. I hope you enjoy!!!!

Felicity hurried into the Robert Queen Applied Sciences Division through the crisp fall air, nearly tripping over her feet. “Oomph!” she grunted, catching her balance again, and headed to the elevators. It had been three months, and she still hadn’t gotten used to the place. She caught her breath as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. She should be lucky, a few months ago it looked like she would be out of a job completely.  


Six months ago, Felicity’s life had been turned upside down when she had been abducted by a rogue organization known as the League of Assassins. They had needed her help investigating a former member, Malcolm Merlyn, who was planning something sinister. Planned, and unfortunately, executed. Merlyn had used an earthquake generating device to level half of the area of Starling City known as the Glades, killing five hundred people. She and a member of the League, Al-Sahim, had tried to stop him and only half succeeded, disabling only one of the two devices Merlyn had placed in the Glades. More people would have died if not for Moira Queen, the co-CEO of Queen Consolidated, where Felicity worked. She called an emergency press conference telling everyone of the impending disaster, and was currently sitting in jail awaiting trial for her part in the scheme. QC’s stocks took a nosedive, and if it weren’t for the quick action of the other co-CEO, and Moira Queen’s husband, Walter Steele, they narrowly avoided going under, unlike Merlyn Global, which folded almost immediately in the aftermath. Walter Steele managed to bring the company back into the black by opening the new Applied Sciences division and creating a business partnership with a company called Palmer Technologies, run by CEO Raymond Palmer. Ray helped run the Applied Sciences division, and at present, the company was on the upswing.  


Felicity had done some work for Walter Steele before, and he rewarded her for it by giving her her own department to lead. She had been completely shocked when he informed her of it. She had thought originally that he was going to fire her when she went into his office, because she had confronted Moira about the Undertaking the day it happened. Instead, Walter thanked her for everything she had done, and had given her an entire department. She was now the director of Research and Development within Applied Sciences, and she reported directly to Walter and worked side by side with Ray Palmer. She couldn’t believe the things she was now able to do, and the sizable pay increase was also a nice bonus.  


She got off on the fourth floor and headed to her office. As she passed by, she greeted Gerry, her assistant. That had been quite a change too, now having someone keeping her schedule. Gerry was fantastic, and even made sure Felicity remembered to eat lunch and went home at night when she was caught up in a project. As she sat down at her desk, Gerry entered, carrying his trusty tablet.  


“Okay, so today you have a meeting with Ray at ten, then a lunch meeting with your department at noon. I ordered the food already, so it should be down there in the conference room when you get there. Then at three you have a phone conference with the other department heads at QC.” He read off the screen.  


“Thank you so much, Gerry. Is Ray coming here, or do I need to go to his office?” Felicity responded, logging into her computer and starting to look at her emails.  


“He’s coming here, says he wants the exercise. Because one hundred feet is enough exercise.” Gerry intoned. Ray Palmer was like a Labrador retriever puppy, full of energy and ideas, and needing someone to reign him in occasionally. Felicity had discovered she was best at doing this, so theirs became a co-dependent working relationship. Ray’s fiancé, Anna, often joked that Felicity was both a work mother and work wife to Ray. Luckily, Felicity and Anna got along from the moment they met, so it was a good thing when she joked like that.  


Felicity continued browsing through all her emails until her meeting with Ray. As a department head, she now had to approve everything, from proposals to budgets to what kind of office supplies they needed. And she loved every minute of it. This was the challenge she had been looking for in her career. She was so grateful for the opportunities that she was now getting.  


At ten am on the dot, Ray Palmer came bouncing into her office. Tall and lean, with a mop of brown hair, Ray’s enthusiasm filled every room he was in.  


“Good morning Felicity!” He greeted cheerily. “How’s your morning going? I’ve been up since five, I ran a half marathon before breakfast, and then I came in and fixed the bug in the Smart Wearable processor that’s been plaguing us for the past week, so my morning is going great!”  


Felicity had to chuckle. “My morning has been good, thank you. Just going over the project approval list.”  


“Ooh! Anything interesting coming down the pipeline?” He asked sitting down in a chair in front of Felicity’s desk.  


“There might be,” she answered. “But I think we need to be focusing more on the Smart Wearable’s deployment before we start on something new. How’s the timeline going?” Even though Felicity worked alongside Ray, sometimes it felt like she was the one in charge. Ray was often incredibly hands on with projects, especially this Smart Wearable that he was developing, so their dynamic often changed.  


“Well, now that I fixed the bug, we should be back on schedule. Although I did have some ideas last night while I was on the Row machine about more apps we could put into it.” If Ray wasn’t working on something, he was working out. He ran Iron Mans, Triathlons, and was always moving. Felicity wondered for probably the millionth time since she met him how Anna kept up with him sometimes. Anna was also a decorated runner, but she worked as a Nurse Manager at Starling General. Ray and Anna had met when he had come in with a twisted ankle from tripping during a road race he was participating in. Since Felicity could barely do ten sit-ups, she graciously turned them down for their weekly run every Saturday morning.  


“Ray, we don’t need to put any more apps on it right this instant. Maybe we can work on them for a push with the first update? I really think we should get them out in stores by October so we can get a good holiday sales figure.” He nodded.  


“You’re right, as always. We can try for the first update after the New Year, keep people interested in using it to keep track of their New Year’s Resolutions. Ooh, maybe we can make that a running background app!” Felicity could see the wheels turning in Ray’s mind as he thought of all the new things to add to the Wearable.  


“Where are we with the marketing department? Have you decided on a name for it yet?” She asked him. Smart Wearable wasn’t the catchiest of names, so they had sat through numerous marketing meetings to try and find a better name for the device.  


“I have another meeting with them tomorrow if you want to sit in with me on it,” he replied. “I think we’re close.” Felicity nodded.  


“Have Gerry put it on my calendar. We don’t have a lot of time, Ray, so we need this done.” He nodded in agreement.  


“It’ll be good to go, promise.” They discussed a few more projects, as well as what they would be presenting to the QC Board later that week, then Ray took off. Felicity leaned back in her chair and sighed. While working with Ray was fantastic, it could be emotionally draining. Shaking her head, she got back to work until noon, when she headed down to her team’s lab. She had a group of eight that reported to her, and they were all already in the conference room helping themselves to the lunch that Gerry had ordered.  


“Hey everyone!” Felicity greeted, grabbing herself a plate and filling it with food. Sitting down at the head of the table, she started the lunch meeting. “Okay, so what’s everyone got going on?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new vigilante in the Glades, but first Felicity has to answer some questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the continued support!!

Felicity sighed as she got home that evening. Her lunch meeting with her team had been fantastic, and the department head meeting had gone by very quickly. Gerry had even managed to get her out of the office by six, which was early for her. She had called and ordered takeout for dinner on the way home, and was looking forward to eating on the couch in front of the TV. She toed off her heels in the hallway and made her way to the bedroom, unzipping her dress as she walked. She quickly changed into her loungewear, and went back into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine.  


Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Thinking it was her takeout, she opened it, leafing through her wallet.  


“Okay, what do I owe you? Oh, you’re not takeout.” She stopped, staring at the imposing figure standing in her doorway. He was a dark skinned man, with huge arms, dressed in a nice suit.  


“Felicity Smoak?” She nodded. “My name is John Diggle. I’m with an organization known as ARGUS,” he flashed his badge at her. “I have a few questions about an incident that took place earlier this year, may I come in?”  


“What incident?” Felicity asked, still confused as to what was going on.  


“There was an incident at a company known as Merlyn Global, a week or so before the Undertaking. A few guards were knocked unconscious after eating food from Big Belly Burger? You were the person identified as delivering the food.” Felicity nodded.  


“Yes, that was me,” she replied carefully. “But I didn’t know that they were drugged. I was just the person delivering them, and I quit immediately after.”  


“Miss, can we please go inside? I’m not here about the burgers, I’m here about what happened with the computers after the guards were drugged.”  


‘Crap,’ Felicity thought. “Um, okay, please.” She stepped aside as Agent Diggle entered her apartment. He looked around briefly.  


“Very nice place you have here. Did you have any issues after the earthquake?” He asked casually. Felicity shut the door behind him and followed him into the living room.  


“No, I mean, the power was out for several days after, but the landlord said they didn’t find any structural damage, so we were all free to come back. Which is good, because I really like this place.” And, she hoped that if she stayed here, Al-Sahim would still be able to find her if he ever came back to the city.  


“Where did you stay when you were put out?” Agent Diggle asked. “Can I sit?” He gestured to the kitchen table.  


“With a friend, and please. Can I get you some water or something?” She asked him. He shook his head.  


“No thank you.” She slowly sat down on the opposite side of the table.  


“So, Miss Smoak, the security footage shows you entering the building, delivering the food, and then leaving. But, further investigation shows that the video feed had been hacked, and there was about a half an hour of footage missing.” He leaned back slightly to look at her. Felicity could feel her hands start shaking nervously.  


“I’m still not sure I understand. Didn’t Merlyn Global close down right after the Undertaking? You know, because Malcolm Merlyn caused it?”  


“It did. Miss Smoak, I’ll get right to the point. We’ve analyzed the footage and found your digital fingerprints on the doctored feed. We know that you are more than capable of doing something like this, we’ve had an eye on you since the incident at MIT,” he stared at her seriously. “What were you really doing at Merlyn Global that night?” He asked her. She sighed heavily. If ARGUS really knew about what happened at MIT, there was no use trying to lie.  


“I was trying to hack Merlyn’s system in order to find out what the Undertaking was. I was hoping to stop it before it could happen. I was clearly wrong.” She replied, a bit bitterly.  


“How did you know about the Undertaking?” Diggle asked her.  


“A few months before it happened, Walter Steele asked me to look into an offshore corporation for him called Tempest. His wife had set it up, and he didn’t know what it was for, because it was funneling some money out of QC. In looking into it, I found several conversations between Moira Queen, Malcolm Merlyn, and a few others talking about the Undertaking. It didn’t seem good, especially when those same people started getting murdered. I hate mysteries, and this one seemed like it wouldn’t have a good outcome, so I decided to keep looking into it. I guess I became a bit of a vigilante. I thought I could use my computer skills to sneak into the system and see what was going on. Then I could alert the police or something.” She finished her entirely plausible explanation, and looked back up at Agent Diggle.  


“And did you find anything?” He asked her. She shook her head.  


“No, I didn’t. I wish I had, maybe those five hundred people would still be alive today,” she responded. “Can I ask what exactly you’re investigating?”  


“We’re just following the timeline of events leading up to the Undertaking. Malcolm Merlyn is still in the wind, so we’re going over all the information we have in order to try and locate him,” Diggle responded. “I’m curious, though. Merlyn’s servers were on a floor with executive level access only. There was no record of anyone accessing the floor directly. How’d you gain access?” Felicity looked embarrassed.  


“I’m not looking for a way to press charges against you, Miss Smoak, I’m just genuinely curious. In fact, talents like yours would be a valuable asset to ARGUS.”  


“I’m very happy in my current position, thank you, Agent Diggle. And to answer your question… I climbed. From the top of the elevator over to the door.” He gave her a look like he didn’t believe her, but let it slide. Standing from the table, he reached into his pocket.  


“Well, Miss Smoak, that’s all I have for today. Here’s my business card, I might be following up with you in the next few days. And please, no more vigilante-ism, okay? Let’s leave investigations like that to the authorities from now on.” He placed the card on the table. “I’ll show myself out. Have a good evening.”  


With that, he moved to the door, opening it just as a teenage boy was about to knock, holding her takeout. He nodded at the kid, then took off. Felicity quickly got up from the table and retrieved her food, paying the kid quickly, then locking the door as soon as he left. Her food still in hand, she sank down to the ground, groaning.  


“Oh no.” She moaned. She thought she had done a good job covering her tracks. Plus, Moira Queen hadn’t alerted the police about Felicity after confronting her about the footage. Why would an organization like ARGUS be looking into this? A feeling of foreboding fell over her, as she finally got up and moved to the couch with her food. She turned the TV on and leaned back, hoping to take her mind off of her unexpected visitor.  


“…And in other news, the Glades vigilante has struck again, this time saving a young woman from a group of men. Witnesses managed to get video of the rescue, but beware, there is some graphic footage.”  


Felicity watched as a woman with blonde hair, a black mask, and a black leather bodysuit fought off four men easily using a bow staff. She stared in wonder as the woman then took off into the night. While she had no idea who the woman was, for the past few weeks there had been reports of a woman helping other women in the Glades who were in trouble. This was the first actual footage taken of her, and Felicity noticed a few things immediately. The most important being her fighting style. She would recognize some of the moves anywhere, as they were from the League of Assassins.  


Putting her half eaten food down, she immediately grabbed her laptop and started hacking video feeds as well as police records from the past few weeks to trace the woman’s movements. If this woman was from the League, did that mean…? She shook her head. If Al-Sahim had returned, she was sure he would have come to find her. Especially after how they had left things. Her heart hurt for a moment as she remembered how close they had gotten during the Undertaking. She left some searches running on her laptop that would determine the vigilante’s patterns, and went to clean up her dinner. It was late, and she still had work in the morning. She’d pick up her investigation tomorrow.  


Unfortunately, it was almost a week later when Felicity had a moment home alone to herself. With the Smart Wearable finally named, PalmSmart (not the most original, but Felicity didn’t care about the name, she only cared about her deadlines), production had taken off, with a few hitches along the way. Felicity had stayed late every night, coming home at nine or even ten pm, falling into bed almost immediately. She even went into work over the weekend to ensure that everything would be ready for the product launch. Now it was Sunday evening, and Felicity was home by five and on the couch with her trusty glass of wine in hand, looking at the results on her laptop. The vigilante had been seen almost every night during the week, and her tracker program had mapped out the pattern of her movements. Although she had tried varying her movements, Felicity could trace her coming into the Glades from about the same direction every night. It was a direction that would have led to the safehouse. Somewhere in the back of Felicity’s mind she knew it was a stretch that it would be her base of operations, but she didn’t see any other place that made sense.  


Her method of finding people to help was also a little sloppy. Felicity could tell she would start in one area and patrol out in a circle until she found something. Felicity couldn’t tell if she was using a police scanner or not, as a lot of the crime happening in the Glades was going unreported. Felicity felt a sudden urge to help the vigilante. She could easily create a program that would alert the vigilante to any disruptions in the Glades so she could go assist. But would she even want the help?  


In her new position, Felicity had tried helping people in the Glades, but it was proving to be difficult. Major businesses didn’t want to move into the area because of the crime, and many of the people who still lived there weren’t qualified for the type of job that the corporations were looking for. Starling City was becoming less of a manufacturing hub and starting to focus more on technology, which didn’t help all the blue collar workers in the Glades. Even the PalmSmart wasn’t being made in Starling City, despite all Felicity’s, and Ray’s attempts to manufacture it there. Ray also believed in helping out the people of Starling City, but his company wasn’t looking for the type of skills they could offer him.  


Felicity finished her glass as she stared at her laptop. She needed to find a way to find the vigilante. She decided to track her for another week, then try to confront her over the weekend. One way or another, she would get to the bottom of this new mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello John Diggle! Finally! I wanted to get him in here somehow, and here he is! I hope you all enjoyed it!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens.

Felicity was hard at work on a project Friday afternoon when Gerry buzzed her intercom.  


“Um, Felicity, there’s someone here to see you, he doesn’t have an appointment.” Felicity looked up from her computer to see through the half glass walls that Agent John Diggle was standing in her waiting area.  


Crap. “Um, give me a minute and send him in.” She quickly finished what she was doing, then sat up straighter in her chair and readied herself for whatever was to come. Agent Diggle entered her office, looking around.  


“Agent Diggle, to what do I owe the pleasure of another visit?” Felicity asked, trying to be as polite and professional as possible.  


“Nice office you have here. Very impressive,” he remarked. “I told you I might have a few follow up questions, so I thought I’d stop by here instead of going to your house again.”  


“That’s very considerate of you, Agent, but I am fairly busy today.” She replied.  


“It’s just a few questions, won’t take much of your time,” he replied. “During the week of the break-in, you took time off of work. Why was that?”  


“Well, I obviously needed to plan how to get into the building and access the files. Then I wanted to have enough time to go over all the data. I couldn’t do my job and search for information about the Undertaking at the same time. Plus, I had a lot of vacation time I hadn’t used.” She replied, the hairs on the back of her neck slowly rising.  


“So you just stayed home the entire week, you didn’t go anywhere?” Felicity shook her head.  


“Nope, I went from my bed to my work desk to my couch. That was all the traveling I did,” she lied easily. “And then obviously out to get the burgers. Any more questions?”  


“You said you broke into Merlyn Global on your own, correct?”  


“Yes, I did. Why?” She asked him. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out what looked like a photo.  


“Well, a security camera captured this picture that night, shortly after you left the building. I was hoping you’d be able to explain it.” He placed the picture down on Felicity’s desk.  


She stared at the picture. It was a bit blurry, but it was definitely a photo of her in the car with Al-Sahim, pulling out of the parking garage. Why didn’t I think to wipe the cameras? She thought to herself, biting her lip. She looked up at Agent Diggle, who was studying her.  


“I called an Uber. That’s the driver,” she replied. “I didn’t want to take my own car with me, the smell of burgers was already in my car, and takes forever to get out.”  


“Miss Smoak, I’m really going to need you to be honest with me,” Agent Diggle stated. “Who is this man, and did he assist you in breaking into Merlyn Global?”  


Tears welled in Felicity’s eyes. She was so overwhelmed by the picture, and the questions. She half wished she had never looked into the League of Assassins, they were to blame for all of this happening. Agent Diggle could see that she was getting upset, so he backtracked.  


“Okay, that’s okay. He was your Uber driver. Do you at least remember his name?” He gently asked.  


“I think it was Joe, or something like that. He wasn’t much of a talker, which is usually the opposite of an Uber driver,” Felicity responded, trying to calm herself. “I’m sorry. It’s just, all this is bringing up so many unpleasant memories for me. First I couldn’t find anything, so I couldn’t do anything to help all those people. I was at home when the earthquake happened, and it was so scary. And then I thought I was going to be out of a job because my boss basically incriminated herself in all of it…” Felicity trailed off, shaking her head. And then Al-Sahim left, she thought to herself.  


Agent Diggle took the photo back from off the desk. “Okay then. Thank you for your time.” He nodded at her, then turned and left her office. Felicity collapsed back into her chair, staring at the ceiling. What was Agent Diggle trying to get at? He had claimed that ARGUS was trying to find Malcolm Merlyn, but what did she have to do with it? She clearly wasn’t an accomplice. And why was he interested in Al-Sahim? Did he know about the League of Assassins also? Felicity was so lost in her thoughts that she did realize Ray had bounded his way into her office.  


“Hey Felicity, we got confirmation of the first ten thousand PalmSmarts rolling off the assembly line right now! Isn’t that awesome? Felicity?” Ray reached across the desk and shook her shoulder lightly. “Felicity? Are you okay?” Felicity jumped in her seat.  


“Oh! Ray, I’m sorry. There’s a lot going on up here.” She made a waving motion around her head. Ray smiled, completely oblivious.  


“Yea, I know what you mean. I think of a new project almost every ten minutes. I’m so excited that the PalmSmart is done so that we can get started on something new. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here. I had this idea for a battery….” He droned on, and Felicity tried to pay attention. What he was describing was amazing, but she just couldn’t focus. She looked at the clock, which read three thirty.  


“Hey, Ray, I hate to interrupt you. I think this battery idea is absolutely fantastic, and I’d love to discuss it more, but I was hoping to sneak out early today. We’ve been working such long hours, and I’d love to just go home and get started on my weekend. Do a mini-spa night, you know?” She told him, starting to gather her things.  


“Oh, yea, totally. Anna loves coming home and soaking in the tub after a long day. She uses those bath bomb thingies? They’re pretty nice, she’ll have to tell you where she gets them.” He followed Felicity out of her office.  


“Have a good weekend, Ray.” Felicity said to him, waving at Gerry.  


“You too, Felicity!” Ray responded. Felicity pressed the button to the elevator and stepped on. As the doors closed, she took a deep breath. A soak in the tub with a very large glass of wine was definitely on the agenda for some point that weekend, but she suddenly had another plan in mind. She walked quickly to her designated spot in the parking lot and jumped into her Mini. She quickly got home and changed from the dress she had been wearing that day to jeans and a top. Felicity knew it was too early for the vigilante to be out in the Glades, so she hoped that she’d be able to find her at the safehouse. Even if she didn’t find her, she just needed to feel safe for a few minutes, like she had when she had been with Al-Sahim. She threw on a pair of sneakers and a jacket and headed out the door.  


The drive to the safehouse brought back so many memories for Felicity. She had ridden there the first time on the back of Al-Sahim’s motorcycle, after he came to get her in the aftermath of the Undertaking. He was injured, but went out of his way to make sure Felicity was safe first. She passed by the grocery store she went to in order to stock the truly pathetic kitchen that the League had at the safehouse. Al-Sahim had insisted on carrying the bags for her. She pulled her small car into the small drive and around the back of the safehouse. It didn’t look occupied, but then again, it never did.  


As much as she hated to admit it, every so often she would find herself driving over here, just to check and see if anyone had been by. It had always been empty. She entered through the back door and went up the stairs to the main apartment on the second floor. The bottom apartment had been converted into a training space, and while Felicity had stayed there she’d wandered down out of curiosity one day. It was stocked with wooden weapons for practice, as well as mats on the floor and dummies to hit. She had pathetically tried hitting one of the dummies, and had bruised her knuckles almost immediately. She had ventured up to the third and top floor as well, but it was completely empty. As she approached the main door, she wondered what to do. Should she knock? Just go in? She finally decided on knocking then opening the door.  


“Hello?” She called out. “If anyone is here, I’m unarmed, and friendly.” She entered the apartment and looked around. It looked to be just as she had left it when she had been there previously. The refrigerator and microwave were unplugged, and there was a sheet over the couch in the living room. The curtains were still pulled closed in the living room and bedroom, and the bed was bare. Felicity sighed in slight disappointment. The vigilante clearly hadn’t been staying here. She’d have to start her search all over again. Would she be staying directly in the Glades?  


Felicity absently was running her fingers along the kitchen table when she heard a soft noise on the stairs outside the apartment. She quickly reached under the table to where she knew a knife was, pulling it out. Holding it in her hand, she slowly turned to the doorway, where two hooded figures had materialized, both armed with bows, arrows nocked and ready. Felicity was worried about what was going to happen next, when the taller of the two lowered their bow and pulled their hood back. Felicity gasped to herself as she realized it was Al-Sahim standing right in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, oh, Diggle's getting nosy.... and welcome back, Al-Sahim! Tune in again on Thursday for the reunion!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited and it feels so..... tense? Loaded? Wistful?

“Felicity?”  


“Al- Sahim.” she breathed out, her eyes wide in astonishment. He was there, he was real, and he was standing in front of her, alongside a woman also dressed in League Attire with red trim. The woman lowered her own bow and pulled her hood down, revealing a gorgeous raven haired woman.  


“I am Nyssa Al Gul, Heir to the Demon.” She announced.  


“Felicity Smoak, MIT Class of ’09,” Felicity countered. Placing her knife on the table, she turned her attention back to Al-Sahim, who was still standing there with a mix of emotions on his face. “Al-Sahim, what are you doing here? Not that I’m not glad to see you, because I definitely am, but…” she trailed off, watching the corner of Al-Sahim’s mouth twitch up into a smile.  


“We could ask you the same question, Felicity Smoak,” Nyssa replied airily. “Why are you in our safe house?”  


“Right, well, see, there’s this woman who’s been going around the Glades, protecting people, especially women. Taking out potential rapists and stuff like that. I found some video footage of her, and her fighting style is similar to the League’s, so…” she trailed off. How could she possibly explain what came over her to go to the safe house and find the woman? Especially with everything going on in her life at the moment.  


“So you thought you’d come here to see if she was part of the League? To what end?” Nyssa questioned. Felicity shrugged.  


“To see if I could help, I guess. What she’s doing is good, but I thought maybe I could help her find more people that needed help. You know, use my computer skills to direct her where to go,” she looked at Al-Sahim. “You were right, so far no one has stepped up to help the people in the Glades. Parts are still totally uninhabitable, and the people there are worse off than ever before.” He continued to stare at her.  


“That is none of our concern. Our concern is finding Ta-er al-Sahfer and returning her to the League.”  


“Ta-er al-Sahfer? So she is a League member,” Felicity stated. “And I’m guessing she’s not here on an assignment from Ra’s al Ghul?”  


“The Canary. And she is not,” Nyssa replied. “She slipped away several weeks ago from an assignment in another country to return here. I asked Al-Sahim to assist me because he is familiar with this City.”  


“So, that’s the only reason you came back?” Felicity asked quietly, staring at Al-Sahim. He said nothing, but his eyes were full of emotions.  


“Father did not think it wise that Al-Sahim should ever return here, but unfortunately I required his aid,” Nyssa studied the looks Felicity and Al-Sahim were giving each other with benign interest. She said something to Al-Sahim in Arabic, and he responded to her very curtly. “Perhaps Felicity can help us in our search for Ta-er al-Sahfer,” she returned to English. Turning to Felicity, she explained, “Al-Sahim has told me of your skill with computers. I’m sure you’ve been following the Canary, yes?”  


Felicity nodded. “I have, but I haven’t been able to find where her base of operations really is. I came here to at least start, because it seemed like the likeliest place. Clearly she hasn’t been here.”  


“Do you have your computer with you? The faster we find Ta-er al-Sahfer, the sooner we can return to Nanda Parbat.” Nyssa asked. Felicity shook her head.  


“No, I didn’t bring it with me. I didn’t know what I was going to find here, so I left it. I do know the sightings usually start out around ten pm each night.” Felicity explained. Nyssa nodded.  


“Fine. We will accompany you to your residence, and then you will bring us to where she usually is sighted.” She started to turn back towards the door.  


“Wait, what? I mean, I’m more than happy to direct you, but do I have to go into the Glades with you? Can’t I just direct you using comms devices or something?” She asked. She could see that Al-Sahim would also prefer Felicity not be down in the Glades. Nyssa looked at Al-Sahim, and seeing the darkening look on his face, gave a short nod.  


“Fine. Do you have any communication devices we can use?” Felicity nodded.  


“I have the ones we used last time still at home. I made some improvements to them as well, so they have further range,” she replied. She could see the impressed look on both Assassins’ faces. “Do you have a car here? My Mini won’t fit all three of us comfortably.”  


“I will ride with you. Al-Sahim will follow on the motorcycle,” Nyssa replied. “Shall we?” She turned and left the apartment. Felicity stepped closer to Al-Sahim, who was looking at her intently again.  


“How have you been?” She ventured carefully. He smiled softly at her.  


“I’ve been well. I’m sorry. Nyssa was right, Ra’s has not wanted me anywhere near the States since I returned. He’s kept me close. And away from any tech, so I couldn’t reach out to you.” He started to explain. Felicity gently placed her hand on his arm.  


“It’s okay. I’m just, really happy to see you again. Even if you’re pulling me into another mission.” She smiled at him.  


“We should go.” He said, and then gestured for Felicity to leave the apartment first. She nodded, then headed down the stairs and outside, where Nyssa was impatiently waiting by the car.  


“Okay, let’s go.” Felicity unlocked the car doors and climbed into the driver’s seat, while Nyssa gracefully slid into the passenger one. She started the car and took off back to her apartment. The two women were quiet in the car for several minutes.  


“My Father is very impressed with your abilities,” Nyssa finally remarked. “He says you have a great fire, and a strong heart.”  


“That’s…that’s very high praise, I’m sure, from a man like him,” Felicity replied, her cheeks reddening. “I’m sorry that Al-Sahim wasn’t able to capture Malcolm.”  


“Merlyn will be brought to justice as the League dictates.” Nyssa intoned.  


“Was Ra’s upset with Al-Sahim for what happened?” Felicity asked carefully.  


“I was not there, I was with Ta-er al-Sahfer on assignment. If he was truly mad, Al-Sahim would not still be standing.” Nyssa responded.  


“I thought Al-Sahim was one of his best warriors.” Felicity stated. Nyssa gave her a mild look.  


“He is, however Father does not play favorites with his men. All are judged equally. Even his children.” Not explaining further, Felicity continued driving while Nyssa gazed out the window.  


“So, um, it’s still pretty light out, so people will probably see you when you get out of the car. You might want to put your weapons somewhere.” Felicity suggested. Nyssa nodded, and carefully reached into the backseat and placed her bow, quiver, and sword on the floor. She then unbuckled her League jacket and covered the weapons with it, leaving her in a simple black top and pants.  


“Is this inauspicious enough?” Nyssa asked. Felicity nodded.  


“That should be good. When it gets dark you can go back out and grab everything, my parking spot is right in front of my apartment,” she turned onto her street and pulled in front of her apartment. “Here we are.” She turned the car off and got out, Nyssa following suit. They walked up the short flight of stairs, Nyssa studying her surroundings. They entered the apartment and Felicity went to the windows and closed the shades. She then went around turning on the lamps.  


“I’m sure Al-Sahim will be here in a moment,” Felicity supplied. Nyssa nodded. “If you need it, the bathroom is right over there,” she pointed. “Would you like anything to drink? I have water, juice, or wine, but you probably don’t want anything alcoholic.”  


“I am fine for the moment. But I will use your facilities.” Nyssa said, then ducked into the bathroom. Felicity decided she wanted a glass of water, and went into her kitchen. She tried listening to the noises out on the street for the motorcycle. She heard one, but it passed her apartment and continued down the street. Nyssa soon emerged from the bathroom.  


“Your home is very cozy,” Nyssa noted. “I can also tell Al-Sahim has been here.” She placed a throwing star down on her island counter. Felicity blushed.  


“Yea, I’m sure there are weapons hidden all over.” She replied. Nyssa regarded her curiously.  


“You are not concerned by this?” She asked. Felicity shook her head.  


“I kind of like knowing that I’m protected if anything should happen. I mean, he put them there for a reason.” Nyssa nodded, then picked the star back up.  


“Have you ever used one of these?” She asked. Felicity shook her head.  


“No, but I watched a demonstration video. Plus, it’s all physics, which I’m pretty good at. Like I said, I hope I never have to use them, but it’s nice to know they’re there.” Nyssa returned the star back to its place in the bathroom.  


“I am surprised Al-Sahim has not arrived yet.” She commented.  


“Yea, I wonder where he is.” Felicity agreed. She shifted uncomfortably in her place. Making small talk with Nyssa was very unnerving. Nyssa went to sit on Felicity’s couch.  


“May I?” She gestured to the television.  


“Sure, go ahead.” Felicity responded. She watched as Nyssa turned on the TV and started scrolling through the channels. Geez, Assassins sure know how to make themselves comfortable in my house, Felicity thought to herself. A few minutes later there was a knock on her door. Nyssa turned the TV off and moved to the edge of the couch, ready to strike, as Felicity looked through the peephole. Seeing that it was Al-Sahim, she opened the door and he quickly entered.  


He was dressed in street clothes, with a hoodie pulled up over his head. He was carrying a large bag of Big Belly Burger with him and a tray of drinks. He removed his hood and checked the windows, nodding when he saw the curtains were closed.  


“There is someone watching your house. I decided to detour before coming here to verify. I don’t think they saw me come in here.” He explained. Nyssa immediately moved to the window and carefully peered out.  


“What? Someone is watching me?” Felicity asked. Al-Sahim moved passed her to the kitchen and started calmly removing everything from the bag and grabbed her ketchup from the fridge.  
“Gray sedan. Large dark skinned man, reading a book.” Nyssa confirmed. Felicity groaned and hung her head.  


“I know who it is.” She replied. Nyssa and Al-Sahim looked at her inquiringly. Felicity focused on Al-Sahim.  


“Last week, a man named John Diggle came here. He said he was from an organization called ARGUS. He had a bunch of questions about when we broke into Merlyn Global. I was able to answer everything without mentioning you, of course. I told him that I took it upon myself to find out what Merlyn was doing so that I could tell the police. I told him I couldn’t find anything, but that I did doctor the security camera feed. He seemed to buy it and left. Then today, he shows up at my office with a blurry picture of the two of us, asking who you were. I lied and told him you were an Uber driver named Joe. I got a bit emotional, and he backed off and left. Guess he didn’t totally believe me.” She explained. Al-Sahim stared at her, and Felicity could see his anger starting to rise.  


“And when were you going to tell me this?” He asked incredulously, voice rising slightly. Nyssa had taken her food to the kitchen table and was sitting there, eating and watching the two of them with interest.  


“I don’t know, you only just showed up! And there are obviously other things going on!” She exclaimed in frustration.  


“Felicity, there is someone from a government agency sitting outside your house right now. He clearly is suspicious of you.” Felicity could feel tears starting to well in the corners of her eyes. She sniffed and blinked them away. Al-Sahim sighed.  


“Alright, we’ll worry about Agent Diggle later. Come eat, I got you your Belly Buster.” He flashed her the briefest of smiles, then sat down with his food next to Nyssa, who was calmly eating a French fry.  


“Did you get me a chocolate shake?” Felicity asked, trying desperately to lighten the mood. He huffed out a laugh in response.  


“Yes, I got you a shake. Come sit down.” Smiling a bit wider, Felicity grabbed her food and joined the Assassins at the kitchen table. She took a large sip of her shake and smiled happily.  


“As much as I enjoy cuisine from other countries, I will never understand the American need to fry all their food in oil.” Nyssa remarked, taking another bit of her burger. Felicity noted that Al-Sahim had gotten both of them burgers in a lettuce wrap, while Felicity’s was in a regular bun. He glanced at Felicity and quirked an eyebrow.  


“Because everything is better fried. Plus, have you ever tried dipping a French fry in a milkshake?” She held hers out to Nyssa. “Here try it. You can’t consider yourself a true critic of American food unless you’ve done this.” She could see the corners of Al-Sahim’s lips turn up as he continued eating. Warily, Nyssa grabbed one of her fries and dipped it gently into the shake. She took a bite and chewed contemplatively. Then she smiled.  


“That is very good.” She affirmed. Felicity’s smile grew wider as she continued eating her food. Nyssa ended up dipping a few more fries into her shake, but Al-Sahim refused, simply eating his with ketchup. While they ate, Felicity took the opportunity to tell Al-Sahim all about her new job.  


“So I march into Walter’s office totally ready to fight for my job. I say, ‘I am the best employee you have in the IT department, and you’re going to need me if you want to survive.’ He replies, ‘You’re right, which is why I’m promoting you.’ I had to have him repeat himself, I didn’t believe it! But he put me in charge of an entire department in the Applied Sciences division. Imagine me, in charge of a whole department! In order to keep the company afloat after everything,” she waved a fry around in the air as she spoke, “they merged the Applied Sciences Division with another company, Palmer Technologies. I work with Ray Palmer, their owner, on all the projects, and I report to Walter. We’re just about to launch our first commercial product, the PalmSmart. It’s basically a watch with all sorts of apps and features, almost like a phone. It’s pretty cool, Ray has really worked hard on it.” Al-Sahim smiled as he finished his food and let Felicity regale him and Nyssa with stories.  


“So you are close with this Ray Palmer.” Nyssa noted. Felicity shrugged as she ate the last bite of her burger.  


“I kind of have to be, we work so closely together. It’s a good thing his fiancé is now one of my friends too, I’m sure people would talk.” Felicity responded, not noticing Al-Sahim give a small sigh of relief.  


“What happened during the fallout?” Al-Sahim ventured. Felicity sat back after taking a sip of her shake.  


“Well, it was pretty bad. The total death toll was five hundred people. A large area of the Glades is uninhabitable, so a lot of people ended up moving away. The City hasn’t been able to get much in the way of government funds to repair the entire area. Only one or two companies have shown interest in helping out, but even then the effort is minimal. That’s why your Canary person has had such a huge media presence, no one else is doing anything down there. Even the cops aren’t doing much, they shut down two of the three divisions they had in the Glades, claiming structural damage to their buildings.” She looked at Al-Sahim.  


“Detective Lance is now a Captain. He ended up getting injured trying to help some people get out, but he’s okay now.”  


“And…everyone else?” Nyssa, sensing that the conversation was turning personal, stood from the table.  


“I’m going to retrieve my weapons from the car.” She announced, and stealthily exited the apartment. Felicity watched her leave, then turned back to Al-Sahim.  


“Tommy took a lot of the rage that was directed at Malcolm. He shut down Merlyn Global and established a fund to help pay all the victims and their families. I think he even took money from his own accounts. A lot of the employees of MG either moved away or were hired by QC or one of the other big companies in the city. He and Laurel are still together, but haven’t gotten married yet. I think things have only just started getting better for them. Thea left back in August to start college, but they’ve hidden where she is from the press. I, of course, found out for you. She’s in New York, and her boyfriend Roy is with her. As for your mom….” she trailed off, eyeing Al-Sahim to see if he wanted to know. He nodded, so she continued. “She’s still in jail awaiting trial. Conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, and involuntary manslaughter of five hundred people. The trial starts in October. Walter goes and visits her twice a week.” She hadn’t realized they were sitting so close to each other until Al-Sahim reached for her hand.  


“Thank you for keeping an eye on everyone for me. You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.” Felicity smiled at him.  


“Of course. I know you’ve left that life behind you, but you still care about your family.” She replied. He smiled at her in reply. They sat there for a few moments, Al-Sahim still holding Felicity’s hand, his thumb running across the back of her hand. That simple movement brought Felicity back to the first time he had done that, here in her apartment.  


“I could have moved.” She said suddenly. “I’m getting paid so much money it’s ridiculous. I have enough to even buy my own place, but…” She trailed off, shrugging and looking at Al-Sahim through her lashes.  


“I would have found you.” He replied softly, gazing intently at her. “If I were ever allowed to return here, I would have made sure to find you.”  


“Why hasn’t Ra’s let you out of his sight?” Felicity asked. Al-Sahim gazed down at their hands before looking back at her.  


“When I returned, Ra’s could tell that something had changed. Members of the League are solitary, with no familial attachments. You’re supposed to shed your old life completely for your new one. He could see that I was having trouble letting go,” Felicity blushed slightly at that remark, Al-Sahim’s hand squeezing hers a bit tighter. “I guess he thought I might be a flight risk. Too bad it ended up being the Canary instead of me.”  


“I never asked last time,” Felicity spoke up. “Ta-er al-Sahfer means the Canary. What does Al-Sahim stand for?”  


“The Arrow.” He replied. She smiled.  


“You did say that you preferred a bow and arrow to a sword.” She commented. He smiled and nodded. Just then, Nyssa returned, both her and Al-Sahim’s hoods and weapons in hand.  


“It is sufficiently dark outside. Your Agent Diggle is still watching the house, but checks his phone at five minute intervals. We can go during one of those.” Al-Sahim discreetly pulled his hand back.  


“We should get ready. Felicity, do you have the comms?” He asked, standing from the table and grabbing all the food waste to throw away. Felicity also stood up.  


“Yes, let me get them all ready. I can use my computer to communicate with both of you, so you each have an earpiece,” she went to her computer and started working as Al-Sahim threw out the trash then took his clothes from Nyssa and disappeared into Felicity’s extra bedroom. She looked up at Nyssa. “You can get ready either in the bathroom, or in my bedroom, if you’d like.” Nyssa nodded, and Felicity heard her go into her bedroom.  


Felicity quickly linked the comms to her laptop, and using one of her other computer screens, brought up her previous search pattern programs for the Canary. She also hacked into the police scanner for good measure. So far things were quiet, but she knew that things could change very quickly. Al-Sahim emerged from the bedroom, dressed and ready.  


“You know,” Felicity said to him, “I could only find six weapons hidden in that room, and two in the bathroom. How many did you hide, exactly?” He smiled.  


“Twenty. At least, twenty in the bedroom,” he replied. Felicity made a small noise of surprise as Nyssa also re-entered the living room.  


“Where shall we begin our search?” She asked Felicity.  


“I figure you should start in the middle, near Elm,” Felicity handed each of them a comms unit as she spoke. “She usually starts there twice a week, and she’s only started there once so far this week. I’ll keep you posted if I get any notices.” Al-Sahim nodded at her in confirmation. Nyssa looked at the clock on the oven.  


“We can leave here in one minute. Is there anything else?” She asked. Felicity shook her head.  


“I don’t have anything else. I’ll try to hack into security feeds in the area as you go. There unfortunately aren’t many in the area, but I’ll do my best,” Nyssa nodded, then headed towards the front door. Al-Sahim glanced back at Felicity one more time. “Good luck.” She offered him. He smiled quickly, then pulled his hood on and quietly followed Nyssa out the door and into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really loved the scene with Laurel and Nyssa at the restaurant when she tries the fry in the shake, so I wanted to include it here. I also feel really proud of how I can actually imagine all the characters saying these lines in my head, so I hope you can hear them in their voices as well! Next up, we finally get to why I named this part Enter the Canary!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter the Canary.

Felicity used the comm signals as trackers for Al-Sahim and Nyssa, watching them carefully weave their way down into the Glades. So far the police scanner was quiet, and she wasn’t picking up anything on the few cameras she had been able to hack into thus far. When they arrived at where Felicity had directing them, Al-Sahim clicked his comm on.  


“We’re here. Anything yet?”  


“Nothing, hang tight. It might be a bit.” She stared at her screens, willing something to happen so the Canary would appear. A half an hour later, Nyssa was several blocks away from where Al-Sahim was still standing. Felicity had gotten into a few more cameras, and one was showing a few thugs trying to break into a small shop.  


“I’ve got some activity in Nyssa’s direction, two blocks south of your current position.” She told both of them. Al-Sahim took off towards Nyssa as Nyssa moved quickly to where the break in was occurring. So far there was no sight of the Canary.  


“She is not here.” Nyssa said in a low voice.  


“Stay there for a few, she might turn up,” Felicity responded. “You could stop the break in if you’re looking for a fight in the meantime.” She could hear Al-Sahim huff in reply.  


“We will not engage. Our mission is Ta-er al-Sahfer, not some petty criminals,” Nyssa responded. “Find another location.”  


Felicity sighed to herself. Would it be so hard to take out a few thugs? Conveniently at that moment, another camera flashed in her view, showing two women being backed into an alley by a group of menacing looking men.  


“I got something. Two blocks up and west, two women being cornered into an alley,” As she watched a figure dropped from the escape ladder behind the men. “Visual confirmation on the Canary. Get over there quickly.” She watched as Nyssa and Al-Sahim sprinted towards the location. At the same time, the Canary was easily beating down the men who were approaching the two frightened women. As the Canary took out the last man, the two women sprinted down the alley back into the street.  


“You’re about to lose her.” Felicity informed them. She watched on the camera as the two assassins dropped from the sky behind the Canary. Felicity quickly made sure the comms stayed on so she could hear everything.  


“Ta-er al-Sahfer.” Nyssa stated. The Canary slowly turned around to look at them.  


“Nyssa. How did you find me?” The Canary asked. Nyssa pulled her hood down.  


“I will always find you, beloved.” Nyssa answered, as she suddenly pulled the Canary in for a kiss.  


“Oh! Okay then,” Felicity muttered to herself. “I didn’t realize the League was so progressive.” The two women ended their kiss, and moved slightly apart.  


“Hey, Ollie.” The Canary greeted.  


“Wait, what?” Felicity said over the comms, just as Al-Sahim replied.  


“Hello, Sara.” Felicity sat there stunned. Sara? Sara Lance? She sat quietly and watched the screen. Sara looked back at Nyssa.  


“I’m sorry, Nyssa, I just can’t go back. I can’t do it anymore. All the killing. It’s just too much.”  


“You swore an oath, beloved. You cannot break it. Please, return with me.” Nyssa sounded like she was begging Sara. Sara turned to Al-Sahim instead.  


“Ollie, you see what’s happening here. There’s so much bad happening, they need help.” Felicity noticed a cop car driving down the street towards the alley and spoke up.  


“Hey, everyone? I’m sure you’d love to continue talking, I’d just suggest that you not do it right where you’re standing. You’re about to have company of the official variety.” Al-Sahim looked at Nyssa and Sara.  


“We have to go. The cops are almost here,” he said. He looked at Sara. “Will you at least come with us so we can talk?” Sara nodded. “Okay, we’re on our way back.” He said to Felicity, and she watched as the trio disappeared into the shadows right as the cops pulled up to apprehend the still unconscious assailants.  


Felicity quickly shut everything down and surveyed her apartment. It was going to be very crowded very quickly. She quickly went to the bathroom, then went to go sit on the couch and wait for the Assassins to arrive. A few minutes later, her apartment door opened and the trio entered, Sara in the front, followed by Nyssa then Al-Sahim. She quickly stood from the couch in greeting.  


“Sara Lance, meet Felicity Smoak. Felicity, this is Sara.” Al-Sahim introduced.  


“Hi! Glad you’re not dead,” Felicity greeted, giving an awkward wave. Sara pulled her wig and mask off, then turned to glance at Al-Sahim over her shoulder.  


“She’s cute,” she commented, then turned back to Felicity, smiling and shaking out her natural blonde hair. “It’s nice to meet you. How’d you get roped into all of this?”  


Felicity shrugged. “Oh, you know, just got kidnapped by the League a couple months back in order to help them find out what Malcolm Merlyn was planning.” Sara chuckled. “Can I get anybody anything?” Felicity asked, feeling like she needed to play hostess. Al-Sahim moved by her to go into his bedroom, touching her shoulder briefly in thanks.  


“Do you have any beer? Or hard liquor?” Sara asked. Felicity shook her head.  


“Water or wine, unfortunately.” She replied. Sara shrugged.  


“Oh well. I’ll take a glass of water, please.” Felicity nodded and went into the kitchen. While Felicity was pouring Sara her glass, Nyssa and Sara sat down beside each other on the couch. Al-Sahim re-emerged from his bedroom, once again dressed in his casual clothes. Felicity eyed him as he came into the kitchen to get his own glass of water. He gave her a slight smile. Returning it quickly, Felicity brought Sara her glass, then pulled her chair out from behind the desk and sat down.  


“Okay, does everyone mind if I start this off?” Felicity asked. “We need to start from the very beginning. I mean, I’m glad you’re not dead, but I’m missing the how. You got on the boat with Al-Sahim. Then what?” Oliver pulled a kitchen chair over and sat next to Felicity, his arms resting on his legs.  


“I snuck on board to be with Ollie. His dad was dragging him along on a trip to China after he flunked out of yet another college, and Laurel was pressuring him to move in with her.” Al-Sahim stared down at the floor while Sara continued. “We were in Ollie’s room when suddenly there was a loud bang. The room started flooding, and I got pulled away from him. I woke up floating in the middle of the ocean on a piece of metal.”  


“I had made it to a life raft with my dad and a crewmember,” Al-Sahim spoke up. “We floated for I don’t know how long. We were running out of water, so my father pulled a gun out of somewhere and shot the crewmember, then shot himself.” Felicity reached for his hand and squeezed it. He looked up at her gratefully for a moment before continuing. “I don’t know how long I floated there, but I finally washed ashore on an island named Lian Yu.”  


“While that was happening to Ollie,” Sara broke into the story, “I kept floating until a ship crossed my path. It was called the Amazo. It was a year before I saw Ollie again.”  


“How did that happen?” Felicity asked.  


“I wasn’t alone on the island,” Al-Sahim replied. “There were others there with me. A man named Yao Fei found me and nursed me back to health. He was imprisoned on the island. There were a group of operatives on the island, and we got into a fight with them while rescuing Yao Fei’s daughter, Shado, who was a captive of the group. We also met a man named Slade Wilson, who was an Australian intelligence officer there to eliminate the operatives. We managed to eliminate them and thwart their reason for being there, but Yao Fei was killed along the way. All that took place my first year on the island.”  


“The Amazo had been searching for Lian Yu, because the man funding the ship, Anthony Ivo, was obsessed with finding this miracle elixir that was rumored to have been developed on the island. It was called Mirakuru,” Nyssa put her arm around Sara, murmuring softly to her. Sara looked at Felicity. “This isn’t a happy story. There’s a lot of suck that we’re leaving out of it,” Felicity nodded. “The ship was full of men in cages that were being experimented on. Ivo protected me, I his own twisted way, and I helped him with his experiments. It took us a year to find Lian Yu, and when we did, we sent some men ashore to find a key to a map we had. Instead, they found Ollie, Shado, and Slade.”  


“We fought them off the island, but they sent a missile to the island, and I was knocked out. I woke up in a cage on the ship. Ivo brought me to his quarters for questioning as to where the key was. That’s when Sara and I reunited. Shado and Slade managed to sneak on board the ship and rescue us, along with a bunch of the other captives.”  


“What was this key they were looking for?” Felicity asked.  


“It was a hosen, a carved arrowhead with latitude and longitude directions to where the Mirakuru was, on a submarine hidden in a lagoon on the island.” Sara said. Felicity shook her head.  


“This sounds crazy. Go on.”  


“When Ivo attacked the island, Slade had been burned really badly. He was dying, and there was nothing we could do to save him. I had the hosen, so we decided to go find the sub and hope to use the Mirakuru to save him. We injected him, but he started bleeding from his eyes, and we thought he was dead. Ivo and his men found all of us and dragged us back onto the island and into the woods. Then…” Al-Sahim broke off, shaking his head.  


“Ivo had us all tied up. He was crazed. He pulled a gun on me and Shado and made Ollie choose which one lived or died.” Felicity squeezed Al-Sahim’s hand harder, and he quickly squeezed back.  


“I jumped in front, trying to get him to shoot me instead. Ivo shot Shado,” he said dully. “Suddenly, Slade appeared and killed all his men. Ivo got away, but left the Mirakuru with us. We took it and fled to safety. Slade was different now, he had this crazy strength, and we didn’t realize it at the time, but his mind was warped. He was distraught over Shado’s death, because he had been in love with her. He started blaming me for her death, but kept it to himself. Eventually, we decided to destroy the Mirakuru and get off the island by taking over Ivo’s ship. We did, but Ivo told Slade that I had chosen Sara and not Shado to live. He lost it then. Sara and some of the captives escaped, the rest were on Slade’s side. He locked me up, and gave me my tattoo. Shado had one just like it.”  


“To remember.” Felicity intoned softly, recalling Al-Sahim’s words. He nodded.  


“He said he wanted me to suffer. Said he wasn’t going to kill me until he made me suffer a loss like he had. The Mirakuru had poisoned his mind.”  


“Meanwhile, I was trying to trade an engineer for Ollie. We had disabled the ship before we got away,” Sara explained. “We made the trade, and I foolishly tried killing Slade. He ended up letting us all go, along with Ivo, who was dying. Slade had chopped off his hand, and it was infected and causing sepsis. Back on the island, Ivo told us that there was a cure for the Mirakuru. He told us where it was, then begged Ollie to kill him.”  


“And you did.” Felicity supplied. Al-Sahim nodded.  


“We decided that we couldn’t let Slade get away, and the only thing to do was destroy the ship. Two of the former captives and I went back to the submarine to get it working again, in order to launch a torpedo at the ship. Slade managed to capture Sara while this was happening. I went to go rescue her, and told Anatoly, one of the men I was with to torpedo the ship even if we didn’t make it off. I just wanted it done,” Al-Sahim’s grip on Felicity’s hand increased. “I confronted Slade, and we fought. Instead of injecting him with the cure that I had on me, I decided to kill him. I shoved an arrow in his eye.”  


“While Ollie and Slade were fighting, the torpedo struck. Ollie stabbed Slade, then grabbed onto me just as the boat exploded and fell apart. We held onto each other for dear life as we were carried away by the water currents.”  


“I was bleeding from the fight with Slade. As we were being pulled along by the currents, I got bit by a shark.” Al-Sahim continued.  


“THAT’S where that scar came from. I wondered.” Felicity said. He nodded.  


“We managed to climb onto a sheet of metal, and once again were just floating. The wound quickly became infected, and I got really sick.” Sara nodded.  


“There was nothing I could do. He had spiked a severe fever, and we didn’t have any resources, no food, no water. I started praying that we would just die quickly,” she sniffed back a tear. “But then, we were rescued.”  


“I was on a ship with some other members of the League, returning home. We had stopped near Lian Yu because the island possesses herbs with incredible medicinal abilities. We were on the opposite side of the island, so we didn’t hear anything that had happened. As we rounded the island we saw the carnage and quickly searched the waters for survivors. We found Sara and Al-Sahim floating quite a distance away. We quickly gave Al-Sahim some of the herbs to help start the healing process, but he was very close to death. As quickly as we could, we returned to Nanda Parbat so that our healers could treat him.”  


“When we got to Nanda Parbat, we were separated. Ollie was taken to the Healers, and I was brought before Ra’s. Did he do his little show of strength to you, fighting a bunch of men all at once?” She asked Felicity, who nodded. “He does that with every new person who enters the League. It’s to gauge their reaction, and see how they would fare as a member. I laughed.”  


“And it was the purest sound I had heard in those halls in some time.” Nyssa said, smiling at Sara with a look of total love and adoration. Felicity smiled.  


“My situation was a bit different,” Al-Sahim spoke up. “The healers treated me, then I was thrown into a cell to recover. The fever had only just broken, and I was starting to feel a bit better, when I was dragged out of the cell and thrown into a room with several men, a mixture of criminals as well as hopefuls trying to join the League. It ended up being a fight to the death,” Felicity didn’t need to know anything more. She was constantly amazed by the strength. Al-Sahim possessed. “Sara and I were reunited to begin training, along with Sarab, who you met. We trained under Ra’s al Ghul directly, and ascended the ranks quickly.”  


“So how did you two get together, then?” Felicity asked Sara and Nyssa.  


“I was besotted with Sara from the start. I started training her separately, as a woman should be properly trained,” Nyssa said, a flash of fire in her eyes. “It was only a matter of time before our training sessions turned into something more.”  


“So what happened that made you want to leave?” Felicity asked Sara. She sighed.  


“On our last assignment, Nyssa and I were together. I was tasked with killing a high ranking official, something I’d done many times before without thought. I was in his room, standing over him while he slept. Just as I was pulling my dagger, his young daughter wandered into the room. She had woken from a nightmare, and just wanted her dad. In that moment, I just couldn’t do it. I fled, and then started thinking about my own dad. I looked up the news on Starling City and saw what had happened during the Undertaking, and I saw that my dad had been injured. I knew I had to come home, but I had changed so much, become a monster. I couldn’t let him see me like this. So I’ve been hiding in the shadows, watching out for him. I made a hideout in the Glades, and I watched as terrible things kept happening. No woman should ever suffer at the hands of men,” Her eyes flashed fierce, and Nyssa nodded at the statement. “I decided that if I was going to stay, the only way to curb the monster in me was to help the women of the Glades the only way I knew how.”  


“I recruited Al-Sahim to accompany me here to Starling City in order to find Sara and return her home to me. Which has led us to now,” she turned to Sara. “Beloved, please. Return with me. Your life was sworn to the League.”  


“I can’t keep being that monster, Nyssa. I can’t look at myself in a mirror, I don’t recognize that girl anymore. I can’t kill again.” Sara implored.  


Felicity suddenly yawned. Al-Sahim noticed it and spoke up.  


“It’s late, and our emotions are high. Why don’t we table this for tonight and meet up again tomorrow, just to talk?” He suggested.  


“At least return to the safehouse with me. I cannot sleep without you by my side.” Nyssa said to Sara. She contemplated it for a moment, then nodded.  


“Alright. Ollie?” She asked.  


“I’m staying here,” he said. Felicity blinked at the certainty in his voice. He squeezed their still joined hands. “Felicity and I will be in contact in the morning.” As they all stood, Sara grinned and wagged her eyebrows at Al-Sahim, who just let out a heavy sigh in response. Murmuring goodnights, Sara and Nyssa quietly left Felicity’s apartment. Felicity tiredly rubbed her eyes under her glasses.  


“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Al-Sahim said gently. Felicity nodded as Al-Sahim escorted her down the hallway to her bedroom, hands still entwined. When they reached her doorway, Felicity let go and flopped onto the bed, groaning softly. Al-Sahim remained in the doorway.  


“Goodnight, Felicity. Don’t fall asleep in your clothes, okay?” He stepped back and softly closed her door. Grumbling, Felicity pulled herself up. She could hear Al-Sahim move around the living room, then go into his own room and shut the door. As quickly as she could, Felicity threw her pajamas on and pulled out her ponytail. Removing her glasses, she flopped back down onto the bed and was immediately asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sara is a cockblock, Felicity and Al-Sahim act like a normal couple out in public, and an idea is proposed.

Felicity ended up waking up late the next morning, the mid-morning sun streaming through the curtains in her room. She yawned and stretched, rolling over to grab her glasses and check the clock. It was already close to ten am. Stunned by the time, she hopped out of bed and threw open her door.  


“Why would you let me sleep so late?” She cried, startling Al-Sahim, who had once again re-arranged her furniture in order to work out (Shirtless, of course.).  


“You looked like you needed the rest,” he responded after composing himself quickly. “I tried to wake you earlier, but you didn’t respond.”  


“Ugh.” Felicity groaned.  


“There’s coffee in the kitchen for you.” He told her, starting his workout again. Felicity made a beeline for her kitchen and poured herself a large cup of coffee. As she slowly sipped, she silently watched as Al-Sahim finished his exercises.  


“So, I noticed something last night.” Felicity commented, taking another sip. Al-Sahim straightened and turned to her, breathing a little heavier from his exercise.  


“And what was that?” He asked. She watched his sculpted chest move up and down as he regained control of his breathing.  


“Sara kept calling you Ollie. Obviously I know it’s what everyone used to call you, but I’m surprised she didn’t once call you Al-Sahim.” She said. He shrugged.  


“Our new names never stuck for each other. I still call her Sara, she still calls me Ollie. We had both pledged to join the League and never return home, so we were all each other had,” he paused. “Sometimes it was a reminder that we were still people underneath our hoods. Sara was right last night, the League has made us monsters. Calling each other by our real names helped remind us of our humanity.” Felicity thought about it for a moment.  


“Sometimes I wonder if you have any good memories from the last five years,” she told him. He sadly shook his head. “Not really. But my recent memories seem to be improving.” He quirked his lips into a smile as Felicity blushed and looked down at her mug.  


“I’m just going to put the furniture back, then take a shower. I told Sara and Nyssa that we’d bring lunch over to the safehouse, then we can talk some more. Oh, and by the way, your Agent seems to have given up for the moment. He left sometime last night, and hasn’t come back yet. He might, though, so we’ll have to be cautious from now on.” Felicity nodded and grabbed a cereal bar from a box on the counter. Al-Sahim shook his head in fake exasperation, but didn’t say anything as he put everything back in order, then went into her bathroom.  


Felicity finished her small breakfast and went into her room to get ready for the day. She threw on a pair of dark jeans and a sweater, then went back out into the living room to wait for Al-Sahim to finish in the bathroom so she could do her hair and makeup. She grabbed her laptop and sat down on the couch to check her work emails. She already had six from Ray from this morning alone. She was engrossed in reading everything when Al-Sahim emerged from the bathroom.  


“I’m all done in there.” He called over to her. Felicity looked up briefly, her cheeks reddening instantly at the sight. Al-Sahim was walking across the hall in nothing but a towel. She made a squeaking noise as she turned her head and closed her eyes.  


“Thank you!” She called back. Really, thank you, she thought to herself. The man was an Adonis. She couldn’t decide if his cavalier attitude was just because this was how he was in the League, or if he was trying to show off for Felicity. Either way, she’d enjoy every second of it, even if it constantly took her by surprise. She waited a moment, then went into the bathroom to finish getting herself ready.  


“Do you know what you want to bring over for lunch?” She called through Al-Sahim’s closed door. He opened it, wearing a pair of distressed jeans and holding his shirt in his hand.  


“Not really. Maybe we can stop at that grocery store again to get something. By the way, thanks for the new clothes.” He held the shirt up before pulling it over his head. Felicity felt her face flush again as she waved her hand.  


“No problem. I just thought…I just wanted you to have what you needed if you ever came back.” She said, feeling awkward. Buying him more clothes had been a whim. She had been out buying herself a new wardrobe fit for a department head, and had walked by the men’s section of the store. He had left one set of clothes in the closet when he had left, which she had found when she finally forced herself to go in his room and clean (and search for all the weapons, but mostly to clean.). She had noted the sizes of everything, so didn’t even think twice to pull some items from the shelves and buy them.  


Al-Sahim moved into the bathroom doorway. “You always manage to surprise me.” He said softly, gazing at her with admiration.  


“It doesn’t seem like something a crazy person would do? I agonized over it when I got back home. I mean, I didn’t just want to go and assume that you’d ever come back, because the logical part of me knew that the chances of that were slim to none, but somewhere in the back of my head, I just thought…” She trailed off in order to stop her babble. He stepped closer to her.  


“Felicity,” he said, in the way that always made her heart jump. “I told you yesterday. If I ever returned here, you’d be the first thing I found, even before my mission.”  


“You really mean that?” Felicity whispered, staring up at him. Al-Sahim smiled at her, and reached his hand up to tuck a stray hair behind her ear.  


“I really do.” He responded. Felicity’s breath hitched as she felt the two of them start moving closer together, as if they were magnets. Al-Sahim’s eyes flicked down to her lips, then back to her eyes as he started bending his head downward. Felicity was just about to close her eyes when a phone started ringing. Felicity jumped back in surprise, as Al-Sahim blinked and shook his head quickly. He reached into his pocket and pulled the inopportune device out.  


“Nyssa,” he greeted. “Oh, Sara. What’s wrong?” Felicity, still reeling from their almost kiss, turned back to the bathroom mirror and finished pulling her hair up into a ponytail. She heard Al-Sahim say something then hang up the phone.  


“Sara says to hurry up and bring food, because she and Nyssa have ‘worked up an appetite’. She is unbelievable,” he told Felicity as she stepped out of the bathroom. Felicity had to laugh.  


“Well, we’d better get on it then. Two very hungry assassins are not people I’d like to mess with.” As she walked past him to the front door, he grabbed her arm.  


“Felicity….” He started. She just shook her head.  


“Later.” She replied, and he gently released her. As she was putting her sneakers on, Al-Sahim went to the window to peer out.  


“I don’t see Agent Diggle, but just to be sure, drive over to the next block and pick me up.” He told her. She nodded, then headed out to her car. The first thing she did once she got in was pull the passenger seat all the way back. Al-Sahim was going to have a tight fit, but hopefully he’d be okay. She pulled out of her space and went around the block like he told her. She saw movement in some shrubs and slowly pulled over, Al-Sahim jumping out and climbing into the car, his baseball cap pulled low on his forehead.  


“You couldn’t buy a bigger car with your new salary?” He said. Felicity laughed.  


“More jokes? No, I love my Mini, and I’m going to keep it for as long as possible, thank you very much,” she took off towards the safehouse. “Do you have a list of things for me to get in the grocery store when we get there?” She asked him.  


“No need, I’m coming in with you.” He responded. She cocked an eyebrow at him.  


“Are you sure you want to do that?” She asked. He shrugged.  


“Doesn’t matter, I’m going.” He replied.  


“Okay.” She responded warily. She continued driving, and after a few minutes pulled into the small grocery store parking lot. It was fairly busy, so she looked over at Al-Sahim again.  


“Are you sure? There are a lot of people here.”  


“That’s exactly why. No one will be paying attention, there are too many people here. Come on.” He carefully extracted himself from the small car and re-adjusted his hat, as Felicity came around from the driver’s side. Taking her hand, they casually walked into the store and blended in with the other shoppers.  


Once again, the feeling of domesticity struck Felicity. She could easily imagine going shopping every week with Al-Sahim, him picking out healthy foods and rolling his eyes at her whenever she put junk food in their carriage. She could envision him perusing the meat counter for what to cook that night, something that would ensure Felicity would have leftovers to take with her to work. She imagined them standing in the checkout line, Felicity trying to sneak a candy bar onto the conveyor belt as Al-Sahim catches it and puts it back. Everything just seemed so easy, so commonplace. The total opposite of their current situation.  


Al-Sahim grabbed a basket at the door as they started walking up and down the aisles.  


“I left some canned goods there back when I stayed, just some fruit and I think canned corn, stuff like that,” Felicity told him. “I don’t know if Sara and Nyssa ate it, or even looked for it.”  


“We can worry about preserved foods later. Let’s get some fresh things.” Al-Sahim replied, as they walked through the produce section. Just like Felicity imagined, Al-Sahim started browsing and picking out the healthiest foods he could find.  


“Do LOA members really eat Kale?” Felicity asked as he put a bunch in the basket, careful of what she said in public. “I can’t imagine it growing well in that environment.” Al-Sahim said nothing, but the corners of his mouth turned up in amusement as he continued to pick out items. They headed over to the pre-packaged meat section, and Al-Sahim grabbed a few packs of chicken breasts and a pre-marinated pork tenderloin. They continued down a few more aisles as Al-Sahim picked out more items. Felicity noted they completely bypassed the frozen food section.  


“Okay, I think that’s it.” He said, studying everything in the basket.  


“You sure? You got your organic quinoa and single source chickpeas?” Felicity teased him, tugging lightly on his arm. He smiled at her.  


“Come on, let’s go checkout.” They started walking and passed the liquor aisle.  


“Should we get any beer or liquor? Sara asked for some last night.” She looked up at him. He shrugged.  


“If you want to.” She pulled him down the aisle and grabbed two six packs of craft beer. Deciding not to get any hard liquor, they found a relatively short checkout line to stand in. As they got to the conveyor, Felicity was tempted to grab a candy bar just to see what Al-Sahim would do, but thought better of it. She placed the beer down on the belt as Al-Sahim emptied the basket.  


“You have your ID sir?” The teenage kid checking them out asked. She could see Al-Sahim’s eyes widen slightly, so she gently pushed him to the side.  


“Idiot here brought his money but left his ID at home. Here’s mine, we’re together.” She handed the kid her ID, pointedly ignoring Al-Sahim’s soft expression in response to her remark. The kid handed it back to her and finished ringing everything up. Al-Sahim pulled out his cash and paid for everything, nodding to the kid as he handed over the change.  


“Here you go. Have a good day.” Al-Sahim grabbed the bags as Felicity grabbed the beer, and the two headed back out to the car. She opened the small trunk and Al-Sahim put everything inside, then climbed back into the passenger seat. Felicity pulled out of the lot and drove to the safehouse.  


“You know how to get to the safehouse pretty well.” Al-Sahim commented. Felicity decided not to lie about it.  


“I would check in at least once a month. Wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anyone who might have stopped in.” She said. Al-Sahim said nothing, just reached for her hand over the gear stick. Within a few minutes, she was pulling around behind the safehouse. Al-Sahim pulled out the groceries and the two headed upstairs to the apartment.  


“Should we knock first? Make sure they’re decent?” Felicity wondered, as the door swung open, reveal a fully clothed Sara.  


“No, but if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask,” she teased in response. Felicity blushed furiously as Al-Sahim made a low growl sound directed at Sara. “Geez, chill out Ollie. Come on in,” she looked down at Felicity’s hands. “Did you seriously buy me beer? Ollie, I might just have to kiss your girl.” She continued her teasing.  


“Sara, that’s enough. I have never seen a person as red in the face as Felicity right now,” Nyssa said, sidling up to Sara as the group made their way into the living area. “Besides, I’m sure Al-Sahim has proven himself a competent lover to Felicity.” At Nyssa’s statement, both Felicity and Al-Sahim started making choking noises. The women watched the pair, then gave each other a look. Then, thankfully, Nyssa changed the subject.  


“Al-Sahim, do you need assistance in preparing lunch?” He cleared his throat.  


“No, I’ve got it. Why don’t you two try to not embarrass myself or Felicity any further?” He ducked into the tiny kitchen area. Sara grabbed a beer from one of the packs that Felicity was still holding.  


“Ollie used to be a ton of fun. Now he’s all serious. Such a shame.” She told Felicity. Felicity nodded, placing the beer on the kitchen table behind her and going to sit on the couch.  


“Oh, I read all about his younger years in the papers. I think the best story was the peeing on the cop car.” She replied, deciding that teasing Al-Sahim was better than Sara and Nyssa teasing them about their current relationship status. Sara laughed.  


“Oh man, my dad was so excited to arrest Ollie and Tommy after that. He tried to throw every single nuisance charge at them, but of course Ollie’s dad had one of the best lawyers in the City. Got them off with only a handful of volunteer hours. Dad was so mad he tried to prevent Laurel from continuing to date Ollie. Of course that didn’t work, she snuck out of the house the next night to join him.” Al-Sahim was clearly ignoring them, turning the vent on over the stove to the highest (and loudest) setting.  


Sara plopped down on the couch next to Felicity. “What else did you read about him? I’m sure I can give you more details than what was reported.” Nyssa perched on the arm of the couch, placed her hand on Sara’s shoulder.  


“It is hard to imagine the boy you have stories about, given his behavior now. Sara has always managed to keep her humor and spirit. Al-Sahim became more and more aloof.”  


“I don’t know, sometimes Al-Sahim manages to say something humorous,” Felicity stated. “He always finds a way to make fun of the state of my kitchen, for example,” she turned to Sara. “Do you know where he learned to cook like he does?”  


Sara nodded. “He learned from their housekeeper, Raisa. She was amazing, more like a mother to him than Moira ever was. She was always teaching Ollie all her recipes. I think she tried to teach Tommy, too, but he kept trying to start food fights with Ollie instead. He was permanently banned from her kitchen.”  


“I thought it might have been from one of the chefs they had. Al-Sahim mentioned once that they had several.” Felicity said. Sara shook her head, sipping her beer.  


“Moira’s tastes in food changed as much as her underwear. The chefs never lasted long, so Raisa did a lot of the cooking in addition to being the housekeeper and basically their nanny. Like I said, she was more of a mom than Moira.” The vent fan turned off, but they could still hear Al-Sahim moving in the tiny kitchen space.  


“I bet you were surprised to see that Laurel and Tommy were together.” Felicity remarked to Sara. She shrugged.  


“Not really. Laurel was always going to end up with either Ollie or Tommy. Although, to be honest, Tommy is the better fit for her. She and Ollie fought constantly when they were together, and obviously he cheated a lot.” She pointed her beer towards her chest. Felicity stiffened slightly at that revelation. Sara put her hand on Felicity’s knee.  


“The last person he was with, I’m pretty sure, was Shado. When we got into the League, he completely isolated himself from everyone except me, and then later Sarab. I think all the guilt weighed pretty heavy on him.” Sara told her seriously. Nyssa nodded.  


“He never even looked at the few women that are in service to League members. You are the first woman I have ever seen him with.” She added.  


“It’s completely different with you. In the best way possible. You’re really good for him, Felicity.” Sara finished. Both women smiled at her, and she responded in kind. Felicity’s own dating history wasn’t picture perfect, so she understood wanting to be someone different. Al-Sahim finally emerged from the kitchen, four plates laid out across his large arms.  


“Lunch is ready.” He said simply, laying everything down on the kitchen table. The women rose from the couch and headed to the table. Al-Sahim went back into the kitchen to grab utensils as they all sat down and looked at the spread in front of them. Al-Sahim had made a stir-fry for lunch, and it smelled incredible. Felicity smiled up at him in gratitude as he placed the forks and knives down at each person’s place. He gave a thin smile back, and sat down in his own seat. Sara reached for another beer.  


“Is it necessary to be day drinking?” He asked her.  


Sara shrugged and took a swig. “It would be rude not to drink something Felicity brought for me.” He shook his head at her, but didn’t say anything else. They all began eating in silence. Towards the end of the meal, Sara sat back, taking a last sip of her beer.  


“I have a proposition for everyone. I don’t want to argue about going back to the League right now, we’re all in a really good place, and I don’t want to ruin that,” she began. “So, I propose that you two come out tonight with me to patrol the Glades. Felicity can lead us over the comms. We can actually do some good for the people down there.”  


“Sara, they are none of our concern. Our only assignment was to retrieve you and bring you back to Nanda Parbat.” Nyssa started.  


“Well, I want you to do this first. For me. If I’m going to be dragged back kicking and screaming, which is what it looks like right now, I want to at least spend one more night doing some good.”  
“Actually, I might have a different thing you three can look into,” Felicity spoke up, glancing down at her phone, which had started beeping. “Over the last two weeks, two different young women have been abducted. Their bodies were later found, filled with some strange plastic compound and posed in different ways. Apparently the police just found a third body.” She could see all three assassins straighten up at her description.  


“If this is the work of one man, justice should be served. Do you have any more information?” Nyssa decided. Felicity shook her head.  


“I’d have to look up police reports and stuff on my laptop, and I didn’t bring it with me. But when I get home I can get started, and then tonight you can all go out and look for this guy.” She suggested. They all nodded.  


“In the meantime, we should train. Al-Sahim, will you join us?” Nyssa asked, standing from the table. Al-Sahim shook his head.  


“No, I’ll go back with Felicity. You two train and meet us back there later tonight.”  


“Al-Sahim, why don’t you stay? I’m going to be so absorbed in looking into this case that I won’t be much company.” Felicity asked.  


“Because you still have a federal officer looking into you. I don’t want you to be alone.” He replied with finality. He picked her plate up along with his and went into the kitchen to clean everything up. Nyssa and Sara handed him their plates as well.  


“Felicity, we will see you tonight.” She nodded as the two women headed down the stairs. Al-Sahim emerged from the kitchen.  


“Ready?” He asked her. She nodded and got up from the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live in the Midwest, where you can buy any type of alcohol in the grocery store. Or gas station. Or Pharmacy (seriously, CVS sells alcohol). It's still something I'm getting used to, because where I'm from you have to go to a liquor store. 
> 
> Now that we're at the halfway mark, I just want to thank everyone for all the enthusiasm and support for this series! Reading all your comments makes my day. Just a head's up, next week will be regular posting, then I'll be taking the holidays off. Maybe I can finish Part 3 during them, because right now it's a half completed jumble, because for some reason I'm writing it all out of order. See you all here next week!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission gets complicated.

The ride home was quiet. Felicity started planning out her searches in her head as Al-Sahim stared out the window. As they neared her street, Al-Sahim spoke up.  


“Drop me off here. I’ll meet you back in your apartment.” She pulled over and he hopped out. She finished her trip and headed into her apartment. After quickly using the bathroom, she sat down and began to learn more about the killings. It didn’t take long to find several important details.  


The serial killer was a man named Barton Mathis, aka the Dollmaker, and it wasn’t his first time killing in this manner. He had a string of murders five years prior, and had finally been caught and arrested by none other than Captain Lance. He had escaped Iron Heights prison after the Undertaking; apparently a wing had been damaged and several inmates had escaped. As she began hacking into police records, Al-Sahim entered her apartment.  


“Your Agent is back,” he noted. “Different car, but he’s out there.”  


“Should I let him know I know he’s there?” She asked him, finally gaining access to the files she needed.  


“Maybe. Let’s see what he does this afternoon,” Al-Sahim replied. “How’s it going?”  


“Good. I already figured out who the guy is. This is his second spree, he murdered eight girls about five years ago. Started slow, then ramped up the murders to two a week. Captain Lance was the arresting officer.” She told him.  


“I guarantee he’s involved in it again,” Al-Sahim replied. “We’ll have to be very careful.”  


“Is Sara going to be okay with that?” Felicity asked. He nodded.  


“She’ll want to help her father in any way she can. Catching this guy is the perfect way to do it.” Felicity nodded and went back to looking through the police files.  


“I’ll try to hack into the police cameras to keep an eye on him.” She decided.  


“Can I use your tablet?” Al-Sahim asked her. She looked up, surprised.  


“Sure, it’s in my bedroom on my nightstand. Want me to get it for you?” She asked him, starting to stand up. He waved her off and headed down the hallway, emerging a moment later with the tablet in his hand. He settled himself down on the couch and started playing with it. Felicity watched him for a moment, then got back to work.  


They sat there working on their devices for the next few hours. Felicity thought it looked like he was reading something from the way he was studying the screen. Felicity focused on how the Dollmaker chose his victims. She wasn’t finding anything, so she started looking into the autopsy reports. She cross referenced all the toxicology reports, wondering if the women had all been drugged. Instead, she found something else connecting them.  


“Well this is interesting,” Felicity said aloud. Al-Sahim looked up at her. “All of the women seemed to use the same skin cream. One of the original victims had a container of a cream called Mermaiden in her purse when she was found, and Lance had the tech lab analyze it. There’re some unique chemicals in it, Ethyl-paraben and sodium lauryl sulfate. Those same chemicals were found on all of the women.  


“So they all used this Mermaiden cream,” Al-Sahim said, coming over to look over her shoulder. “How many stores in Starling sell this?”  


“Four,” she answered, typing away. “Three have security cameras, one doesn’t. I’m trying to scan for any facial recognition to see if I can find the victim or even a shot of the Dollmaker himself. It might take a while.”  


“Okay, keep working on it. The more information we have, the better shot we have of capturing him tonight.” Al-Sahim replied, squeezing her shoulder quickly before returning to the couch. Felicity returned to her facial recognition programs. An hour later there was a knock on the door. Al-Sahim answered, and Nyssa and Sara quickly entered.  


“You’re being watched again.” Nyssa commented. Felicity looked up from her work quickly.  


“So I heard. We’ll have to deal with him later. I found a ton of information on the Dollmaker.”  


“Well, we brought Chinese food, so everything can wait until after dinner,” Sara replied, holding up the bag. “Let’s eat.” Seeing that Felicity’s kitchen table was too small for four people, Sara arranged the food on the coffee table in the living room and settled herself into the couch. Nyssa followed suit, but Al-Sahim brought his food to the table. Felicity was still working, so Al-Sahim fixed her a plate and placed it on her desk.  


“Stop and eat,” he said. Felicity nodded, grabbing a forkful of food with one hand while still typing something with the other. “Felicity.”  


“Okay, okay. Geez.” She responded, taking her focus off the screen and onto her food. Satisfied, Al-Sahim sat down and began to eat his own food.  


“So, I found out a few things on this case.” Felicity started in between bites. “Sara, your dad is heavily involved with it, so head’s up,” Sara looked up from her food with interest as Felicity continued. “About a month after you two disappeared, this guy called the Dollmaker started kidnapping young women. He would kill them using some kind of plastic compound, then would stage their bodies like porcelain dolls. Hence, Dollmaker. He wound up murdering eight women before Lance caught him. He escaped from Iron Heights during the earthquake, apparently it damaged a wing and a few people escaped. All his victims have used or purchased a skin cream called Mermaiden. It’s super high end, and only four stores here in Starling sell it.”  


“He picks his victims for their skin. The cream is how he finds them.” Al-Sahim spoke up.  


Felicity nodded. “I’ve been running facial recognition on the three stores that have video surveillance, but haven’t seen him. He’s clearly staking them out from the outside somewhere.”  


“Then we shall do the same,” Nyssa replied. “The three of us can each choose a store, and Felicity can monitor a fourth from here.”  


“This could end up taking days,” Sara said. “We don’t know how often people buy this skin cream. Plus, I don’t want to give him the opportunity to find another victim.”  


“But that’s exactly what we need to give him,” Felicity spoke up, looking at the assassins. “I’ll go to the stores that carry Mermaiden, and buy it from each one to cover our bases.”  


“Absolutely not. I won’t let you take that risk.” Al-Sahim said, shaking his head.  


“More risky than breaking into Merlyn Global? It’s my life, it’s my choice.” Felicity responded, staring at Al-Sahim.  


“We can protect her, Al-Sahim. It is a good plan.” Nyssa stated. Al-Sahim kept staring at Felicity, as if trying to will her to change her mind. When she didn’t back down, he closed his eyes and sighed.  


“Fine. But you’re keeping a comm on you at all times, and will do regular check ins.” He responded. She nodded in agreement, smiling at him. He didn’t return the smile, instead standing from the table and going into his bedroom.  


“He’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.” Sara waved her chopsticks in the air.  


“I know.” Felicity responded, looking over her shoulder towards the bedrooms. Turning back to her food, she finished eating quickly. Sara had turned on Felicity’s TV, and she and Nyssa were curled up together watching something. Al-Sahim still hadn’t emerged from his bedroom.  


Felicity decided to go and change, so she went into her bedroom. She kept her dark blue skinny jeans on, but changed her top to a bright pink peplum top. She went into the bathroom and fixed her hair to a half back style, and put her contacts in. She fixed her makeup as well, then went back into her room to put on a gold necklace. As she was fixing everything, Al-Sahim came and stood in her doorway, dressed in his League attire.  


“I’m still not comfortable with this.” He acknowledged. Felicity looked up at him.  


“I know, honestly I’m not so thrilled by it either. But we can’t wait for him to capture some random girl, if it’s me, we can control the situation. You get that, right?” She asked him, as he took a step into her bedroom.  


“I do,” he replied. “But, Felicity….” She placed her hands on his crossed arms, thumbs rubbing over his biceps.  


“I won’t do anything stupid, I promise. I’ll go in, buy the cream, and leave. You’ll be watching me the whole time.” She gave him a soft smile, staring up into his blue eyes. His expression softened, as he sighed.  


“Okay. You ready to do this? The sun is just setting now, so it’s a good time to go. Sara and Nyssa already grabbed their comms, and they’ll meet us at the first location.” Felicity nodded. Al-Sahim stepped back out into the living area, Felicity following him. She grabbed her tablet and comms container and put them in her large purse. She looked up to see Al-Sahim quietly slipping out of the front door. She knew he had his comm and would be there when she got to the first store. She quickly threw on a purple jacket and headed out.  


As she looked across the street, she saw the red car that Agent Diggle was using to stake out her home. A feeling of fury came over her, and she marched over and banged on the window. Calmly, Agent Diggle lowered it and greeted her.  


“Good evening. Going somewhere Ms. Smoak?” He asked. “You look very dressed up.”  


“Just out shopping, I need some things. Did you have something you needed to ask me, and that’s why you’ve been sitting outside my house for the last two days?” She bit back. He shook his head.  


“Not particularly. However, I don’t think you’ve been telling me the truth Felicity. I intend to find out exactly what your hiding.” He calmly replied. Anger boiled up inside of her.  


“I’ve told you everything and I’ve been incredibly cooperative, so I’m sorry you don’t believe me. However, this stalking is getting ridiculous. I would like you to leave me alone, or I will contact your superiors. Now excuse me, I have to go. Don’t follow me, if you do I’ll lead you straight to the police station.” She turned and stalked to her car, shutting the door firmly.  


She sat there for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. In her rearview mirror, she could see Agent Diggle pulling out of his spot and heading down the street. She waited until he was out of sight, then started her car and headed to the first store. It took a few minutes to get there, and she constantly checked her mirrors to ensure that she wasn’t being followed. She pulled into a parking space a block away from the store. She affixed her earpiece, then headed down the street, activating it as she went.  


“You guys all here?” She asked, glancing up at the rooftops briefly.  


“I am in position.” Nyssa responded.  


“I’m here.” Sara replied.  


“We are all here, and we see you, Felicity. You’ve got this.” Al-Sahim reassured her.  


“Okay, heading into the store,” she said, adjusting the comm in her ear. “By the way, have I mentioned how good it feels having you inside me? And by you I mean your voice, and by me I mean my ear. I’m just going to stop talking, right now.” He cut herself off, closing her eyes and grimacing at her verbal faux pas.  


“That would be my preference.” Came Al-Sahim’s curt reply.  


“I could stand to hear a little more about what Felicity likes inside her.” Sara pipped up.  


“Indeed.” Nyssa agreed in a bemused tone.  


“Can we just focus, please?” Al-Sahim sharply addressed everyone. Grateful for the stop to the conversation, Felicity went into the store and quickly purchased the Mermaiden cream. As she exited, she slowed her walk, trying to not pay attention to her surroundings. She climbed into her car slowly.  


“Anything?” She asked.  


“Nothing,” Nyssa replied. “We will meet you at the next location.” Felicity turned her car on a drove to the second store. She repeated the process there, then headed to the final two stores. They were closer together, so she decided to park in one place and walk to both.  


“I’m going to walk these. Maybe it’ll draw him out.” She told everyone.  


“Fine. We’ll use the parking garage as a rendezvous.” Al-Sahim replied. She managed to make it to the final store as they were closing. She stepped out and back onto the sidewalk.  


“Okay, that was the last one. Good thing I have a sizeable paycheck now, these are very expensive.” She noted.  


“Just get to the rendezvous point. Stay in public.” Al-Sahim replied. She slowed her pace and headed back towards the parking garage. As she crossed the street, she noticed someone else walking behind her.  


“Someone’s coming.” She muttered.  


“I got him.” Al-Sahim replied. Felicity glanced back over at the person, who was definitely male and wearing a hat.  


“Okay, I’m going to admit to being seriously wigged out right now,” Felicity stated, fear rising in her voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the person walk into a restaurant and sighed in relief. “False alarm, but next time I offer to be bait for a serial killer, please turn me down.”  


As she turned her head back towards the alley she was walking down, she bumped into a shadowed figure and started shrieking. The Dollmaker quickly covered her mouth and started pulling her further down the alleyway. She struggled with all her might against him, only getting away as an arrow flew out and struck him in the back. He pushed her out just as she escaped his grasp, and fell and hit her head against a dumpster. Al-Sahim dropped from the air as the Dollmaker pulled the arrow out of his back and took off running.  


“You alright?” Al-Sahim asked, gently checking her over. “Don’t move.” Sara and Nyssa both dropped down from the sky.  


“Stay with her, she hit her head” Al-Sahim directed Sara, as he and Nyssa took off after the Dollmaker.  


“Go,” Sara replied, taking over for Al-Sahim. She checked her over gently. “You feel okay?” She asked her.  


“Ow, that was hard. I think I scraped my arm too.” She moaned, moving her arm to cover her eyes.  


“Okay, I got you. Do you need a moment, or do you want me to help you up?” Sara asked.  


“Just give me a moment.” She replied, blinking a few times, trying to assess how badly she had hurt herself. As Sara slowly helped her up, they heard sirens racing towards them.  


“We’re about to have company, guys,” Sara called over the comms. She and Felicity managed to get out of sight as a police car came racing past them and down the alley. “Get out of there now!” They didn’t hear anything as Sara helped Felicity back to her car. Sara got Felicity into the passenger seat, then jumped into the driver’s side. They took off out of the parking lot and headed towards the safehouse.  


“Al-Sahim? Nyssa?” Felicity called over the comms. “We’re going to the safehouse. Do you copy?”  


“Meet you there.” Came the reply, and Felicity sighed in relief. She slumped in her seat, hand on the back of her head, gently massaging the welt that was forming.  


“You going to be okay? We’ll put ice on it when we get back.” Sara said, looking over at her.  


“Yea, it just hurts. I’m pretty sure I don’t have a concussion or anything like that.” Felicity responded.  


“We’ll get ice on it as soon as we get back. We’re almost there, don’t worry.” Sara told her, pulling onto the street that led to the safehouse. They pulled into the drive, and Felicity slowly eased herself out of the car. Sara led her up the stairs and into the apartment, settling her on the couch before going to get an ice pack. Just as she was handing it to her, Al-Sahim and Nyssa burst in. Al-Sahim made a beeline for Felicity.  


“Are you alright? How’s your head?” He asked, kneeling down and checking her over for any other injuries.  


“I’m okay, its just a bump. The ice is helping. What happened?” She asked.  


“We had only begun to engage him when the police arrived. Had they not appeared, we would have eliminated him.” Nyssa responded.  


“Someone must have heard me scream,” Felicity surmised. “It’s an affluent area, so the police presence is greater.”  


Nyssa nodded, then stiffened. Sara and Al-Sahim did the same. Nyssa drew her bow and Sara reached for a knife as Al-Sahim put himself in front of Felicity. The front door burst open, and Agent Diggle appeared, gun raised and ready. Within seconds, Nyssa had shot the gun out of Diggle’s hand.  


“Who are you?” Nyssa demanded. “How did you find this place?” Agent Diggle’s eyes swept over the scene.  


“Let the woman go.” He commanded, even though he no longer had his weapon.  


“Did you follow me here?” Felicity demanded. Diggle looked confused.  


“You came here willingly?” He asked. “I saw you get into your car with her,” he pointed at Sara, “and thought you were being abducted, so I followed,” he looked at the group again. “Ms. Smoak, how did you get involved with the League of Assassins?”  


“How do you know where we are from?” Nyssa countered.  


“ARGUS works off the grid a lot. We’re very familiar with rogue organizations. I know your name is Nyssa Raatko,” he responded. He then stared at everyone again. “And I know you,” he said, pointing at Al-Sahim. “You’re Oliver Queen. The Oliver Queen who supposedly died in a boating accident almost six years ago. How is it possible that you’re here?”  


“The better question, Agent Diggle, is what are you planning on doing with all the knowledge you now possess?” Nyssa said, drawing her bow back tighter.  


“Okay, can we all just take a time out, please?” Felicity spoke up. “Nyssa, lower your bow, you’re not going to kill him. Agent Diggle, clearly you weren’t going to stop hounding me until you got some answers, so we’ll give you some. IF, however, you promise to leave us alone for good after this.” He looked around at everyone, then relaxed his stance.  


“Can I sit down?” he asked. “I have a feeling this is a long story.”  


“Not that long.” Al-Sahim said darkly. Felicity nudged him, shushing him quietly.  


“The League asked for my help looking into the Undertaking, because they knew I was looking into it too. Malcolm Merlyn used to be a League member,” Felicity started, raising a hand as Diggle opened his mouth to speak up. He closed it and sat quietly as she continued. “Al-Sahim,” she said, gesturing to the man, who was now sitting beside her holding the ice pack to her head, “accompanied me here. He was the man in the picture you have. The two of us broke into Merlyn Global so I could hack the system directly. He then took the information I found back to the League. He later returned to confront Merlyn, and I helped him find the location of the device to disable it.”  


“But it still went off.” Diggle stated.  


“One device went off. Merlyn had two. We managed with the assistance of now Captain Lance to disable the first device. This is Captain Lance’s daughter, Sara, who was on the boat with Al-Sahim,” Sara nodded to Diggle. “She’s the reason they’re here now. Sara is the female vigilante that’s been helping out in the Glade the past few weeks. Nyssa and Al-Sahim came here to bring her back.”  


“But what happened tonight? Why were you attacked?” Diggle asked.  


“Sara wanted to do one more good deed for the city before leaving. I suggested helping find the Dollmaker, who broke out of Iron Heights during the Undertaking. It was a big case her dad had worked on, it seemed fitting. We were baiting him in order to take him out. The cops were unfortunately too good at their jobs and interrupted. That’s why you saw Sara driving my car, and that’s why we’re here now.” Felicity finished. Diggle quietly took in all the information. Felicity reached back and put her hand on top of Al-Sahim’s which was still holding the ice pack against her head. “I’m okay now.” She murmured to him. He nodded, and slowly removed his hand.  


“I still don’t understand one thing. Well, maybe more than one, but one to start,” Diggle said, looking at the assassins. “Felicity helped you out with the Undertaking, fine. But why involve her with this now? You said you were just here for Sara, why couldn’t you have just come in, gotten her, and left?”  


“I got myself involved.” Felicity said. “I tracked Sara’s movements and came here, thinking she’d be here. It’s a League safehouse. I found Nyssa and Al-Sahim instead.”  


“Not a safehouse for much longer.” Nyssa stated darkly. Felicity shot her a look, then turned back to Diggle.  


“Agent Diggle, we’re not planning anything nefarious. We just wanted to do one good thing for the city. Then, they would all leave, and I’d go back to my regular day to day at QC. That’s all. I know I didn’t tell you the whole truth, but there it is. Please don’t arrest me.”  


Diggle sighed. “I wasn’t planning on arresting you. Like I said when we first met, ARGUS is looking into Merlyn’s whereabouts. You seemed like someone who would know, or who might be able to find out. We know you have the skills necessary.”  


“Malcolm Merlyn is still missing. However, he will be found and swiftly brought to justice. By the League.” Nyssa stated firmly.  


“Okay, look. You know our story now, and you know what we were trying to do tonight. Are you going to leave us alone, or do we need to remove you from this situation?” Al-Sahim finally spoke. They all sat in tense silence for a few moments while Agent Diggle processed everything. Finally, he stood up.  


“As long as you’re not getting in the way of the actual authorities, there’s nothing I can do. I would like to ask that if you find Merlyn you let us know, however I can tell you’re not going to do that,” he said, looking at Nyssa pointedly. “I’m not a fan of this situation, but this is the best for all sides. Ms. Smoak, I’m sorry that I’ve been following you, and I’m sorry you got injured tonight. If you ever need anything, you have my card. As for the rest of you, you don’t exist. The two of you died on that boat, and Nyssa, you’re already on ARGUS’ radar, so I’d keep a lower profile. Now, I’d like to go back to not knowing about any of this, if you’ll let me.” The three Assassins looked at each other, then nodded. Agent Diggle nodded back, then left the safehouse.  


Felicity groaned and leaned further into the couch. Al-Sahim gently put his arm around her and pulled her towards him. She closed her eyes as she laid her head gently against his shoulder, melting into his embrace.  


“I think we dodged a major bullet there,” Sara finally spoke up. “He could have outed us and ruined everything.”  


“He still could.” Nyssa said.  


“No, I believe him. He’s going to leave us alone.” Felicity said. Al-Sahim nodded in agreement.  


“Even though I’m going against my better instincts, I agree. I think he realized he was in way over his head, so he’s going to back off,” he looked down at Felicity, whose eyes were still closed. “I need to get her home. We can go after the Dollmaker again tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be even more determined to find a new victim after we thwarted him tonight,” he gently nudged Felicity awake, “Come on, let’s get you home before you fall asleep.”  


Groggily, Felicity moved from off the couch, waving goodbye to Nyssa and Sara as Al-Sahim guided her down the stair to her car. She got in the passenger seat as Al-Sahim climbed in and headed home. She ended up falling asleep in the car, and didn’t even wake up when Al-Sahim carried her up the stairs and into bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Diggle, sticking your nose in League business... And of course my favorite Olicity comedy line ever. Reminder that after Thursday's post I'm off for the next two weeks for the holiday (ad hopefully finishing Part 3!! Maybe if I keep writing this I'll actually do it!!) Hope you all enjoyed!!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An encounter with the Dollmaker brings some clarity.

Felicity slept most of the next day. Luckily, it was Sunday, so she didn’t have to go to work. When she finally woke up in the afternoon, she felt much better. Her head didn’t hurt, and she felt very well rested. She got up, and went into the living area to look for Al-Sahim. He wasn’t there, so Felicity decided to take a shower and clean herself up. She relaxed under the warm spray, cleaning the grime off of herself from the night before. She took her contacts out, which she unfortunately still had in, and replaced them with her glasses. She went into her bedroom and changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Coming back out, she flopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. She grabbed her tablet off the coffee table where Al-Sahim had left it, and turned it on to browse the internet.  


Al-Sahim hadn’t closed out of what he had been looking at, so Felicity couldn’t help but see what he had been reading. It was all about his mother’s upcoming trial, and what the media expected to happen during it. He had also looked up some articles about Felicity as well. She smiled to herself as she saw the few articles about her promotion and the direction the Applied Sciences division was taking in their partnership with Palmer Technologies. There was also a feature of her as a female in tech that he had managed to find. She was incredibly proud of her accomplishments, so was thrilled that Al-Sahim had read the articles.  


While she was browsing through the articles, she heard her door unlock. She looked up as Al-Sahim, Sara, and Nyssa all entered her apartment in their gear.  


“Well good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Sara teased her. “We thought Ollie was going to have to kiss you awake.” She flushed at Sara’s teasing, and she could tell that Al-Sahim was slightly uncomfortable as well.  


“Nope, I’m awake on my own. What have you three been up to all day?” She asked them.  


“We have been training,” Nyssa replied. “Then Al-Sahim demanded that we come here before going after the Dollmaker this evening.”  


“I did not demand. I merely suggested coming here to formulate a plan with Felicity’s help.” He responded. He looked Felicity over. “How are you feeling?” He asked in a softer voice.  


“Much better, thank you. Apparently I really needed the rest. But, now I’m wide awake and ready to help out.” She replied, smiling at him.  


“Apparently my dad was in one of the police cars that interrupted Ollie and Nyssa last night. I saw him on the news last night after you two left.” Sara informed her. Felicity nodded.  


“Makes sense. This case is personal to him. I’m sure he wants the chance to get the Dollmaker again.” Sara flopped onto the couch next to her, peering at the tablet.  


“Why are you looking up articles about yourself? You forget how smart you are or something?” Sara teased. Felicity flushed.  


“I actually didn’t pull these up.” She said simply, glancing at Al-Sahim. Sara noticed, and her eyes grew wide.  


“Ollie, researching your girlfriend? That’s a bit stalkerish, if you ask me.” She badgered him.  


Al-Sahim glowered at Sara. “I was looking up information about my mother’s trial. There happened to be a link to an article about the Applied Sciences division, and that’s where I found the article about Felicity. I wasn’t researching her.”  


“Aw, he wants more things to brag about when it comes to you.” Sara continued. “Felicity is so smart, she went to MIT. Hey, did you hear that my girlfriend is now the head of an entire department? She’s so brilliant and powerful. And her new dresses really show off her figure, I mean, those curves…” Sara trailed off as a pillow hit her directly in the face. Felicity looked up wide-eyed at Al-Sahim, whose posture was rigid, his fingers rubbing against each other. Nyssa was at the kitchen table snickering at the scene.  


Sara burst into laughter, and Felicity couldn’t help but join. It was so completely out of character for Al-Sahim, but was Oliver through and through. She could see that he was struggling to maintain a straight face, also finding the situation amusing. She grinned at him, and he slowly lost his composure and chuckled lightly.  


Suddenly, Felicity’s computer started beeping loudly.  


“What’s that?” Al-Sahim asked. Felicity jumped up and went to her desk, her face falling as she looked at the screen.  


“The Dollmaker just abducted Captain Lance, right from the precinct’s parking garage. He shot another officer, which is why the alarm sounded.” She looked up at Sara, whose expression had gone from happy to anger instantly.  


“Is there footage?” Al-Sahim asked. Felicity nodded.  


“Even better, there’s video of the van he used to get away. It’s a van from Metamora Chemical. The company was condemned after the Undertaking. Dollars to donuts that’s where he’s taking him.”  


“Which means he has another victim, and wants Lance to watch,” Al-Sahim finished. He looked at Sara. “You going to be okay to do this?” he asked.  


“He’s got my dad. This ends tonight.” Sara replied. Nyssa nodded in agreement.  


“The police will also be reviewing the footage, so you won’t have much time.” Felicity said to them as the trio sprang into action.  


“We will not need long.” Nyssa replied. Grabbing their weapons, they headed out the door.  


“Be safe, stay in contact!” Felicity called after them. She’d be blind on her end, there were no cameras in or around the building. She monitored them by their comms, watching as they approached the area with speed.  


“Going in,” Al-Sahim murmured into the comm. A few moments later, “Eyes on target. He has Captain Lance. And Laurel.” Felicity took a sharp breath. Laurel was the Dollmaker’s next victim?  
“Oh hell no.” Sara responded.  


“Do not engage. I’ll get them out.” Al-Sahim ordered. For several long moments, she heard nothing. Then, she heard a crash, as Al-Sahim engaged the Dollmaker.  


“He’s getting away.” Al-Sahim called through the comms. Felicity could hear him untying Captain Lance, and heard him rush over to check on Laurel. She watched as both Sara and Nyssa’s dots converged on the same area. Al-Sahim went to meet them, but by then, the unmistakable sound of a neck being snapped confirmed that the Dollmaker had been eliminated.  


“Cops are on their way, you guys had better scram.” Felicity notified them, listening tapping into the police network.  


“Are Laurel and my dad okay?” Sara asked.  


“They’ll be fine,” Al-Sahim responded. “Felicity?”  


“Yup, I just hacked the police camera on the first car on the scene. Laurel looks shaken, but is okay. Captain Lance is fine as well, he’s already ordering everyone around,” Felicity reported. “Tommy just showed up too. Great job, everyone.”  


She turned off her comm and watched the police feed for a few more moments, as some EMTs checked over Laurel, with Tommy hovering closely. Lance, after finding the Dollmaker’s body, came back out of the building and also went to check on Laurel. She kept the feed live, in case Sara wanted to see it when they came back.  


Al-Sahim was the only one that returned.  


“Where are Nyssa and Sara?” Felicity asked him, standing up from her desk and leaning on the edge of it instead.  


“Sara needed to burn off some steam, so she and Nyssa are going to patrol the Glades for a bit, then go home.” He replied, lowering his hood and going into his bedroom to put his bow and quiver away.  


“So, then it’s just you and me for the rest of the night?” Felicity asked, listening to Al-Sahim changing in his bedroom. He emerged a moment later in sleep pants and a top.  


“Is that okay with you?” He asked her, suddenly seeming hesitant.  


“Yes, of course that’s okay. It’s more than okay,” Felicity replied. “I mean, who knows how long Sara and Nyssa would have stayed tonight, plus I have work in the morning, so it’s fine.” She looked up to see a flash of hurt race across Al-Sahim’s face.  


“Oh. So you’re probably wanting to go to bed soon, then.” He replied, trying to sound nonchalant, but rubbing his fingers together.  


“I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, yes, Sara and Nyssa would have made me stay up way late, but I’d rather spend the rest of the night with you. Alone. I mean, if you wanted to just hang out here. You don’t have to, I’m sure your tired from that daring rescue, so…”  


Felicity was suddenly cut off mid-babble by a soft pair of lips hitting hers. Al-Sahim’s hands framed her face, and he was standing close enough she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Her heart started doing backflips in her chest as Al-Sahim’s mouth drew a hair’s breath away, then met hers again, softly and briefly. He pulled away again, resting his forehead against hers.  


“Wow,” Felicity breathed. There hadn’t been much to the kiss, just a lingering peck, but the electricity she felt was still coursing through her body. They were still close enough for her to feel his mouth turn into a soft smile.  


“Yea,” he breathed back. Felicity leaned back slightly and gazed into Al-Sahim’s eyes. They were shining, filled with so much emotion it almost took her breath away. His thumbs were gently moving back and forth against her jawbone, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes and smile wider, just breathing in the moment. Al-Sahim smelled of a mixture of sandalwood, leather, and his own musk. Just breathing it in, Felicity felt a sense of calm and contentment wash over her. She had never felt this way before, and although it was terrifying, she pushed that to the background and was just present in the moment. She opened her eyes again and locked onto Al-Sahim’s.  


“You okay?” He whispered.  


“More than.” She softly replied. His smile grew wider, and she raised her right hand from the desk to rest over his heart. She could feel it beating rapidly, his chest expanding and contracting with each breath he took. His eyes glanced down, then back to hers. They both leaned forward again, lips meeting in the middle.  


Their second kiss was longer, and deeper. Al-Sahim moved his left hand to wrap around her back, pulling her closer to him. She kept her hand on his heart, and let her other hand rest on his waist. Felicity’s eyes fluttered closed as she melted into the embrace, Al-Sahim’s body guiding her balance. Felicity felt like were thousands of butterflies inside of her, every part of her tingling. She could tell Al-Sahim was just as affected, his breath and heartbeat both erratic.  


They would have stayed locked in their embrace if not for the insistent beep of Felicity’s computer. Breaking apart with an embarrassed huff, Felicity turned in Al-Sahim’s grasp to look at her screen, his hand running down from her shoulder to her forearm.  


“Sara and Nyssa caught some more perps tonight,” Felicity informed Al-Sahim, reading over the alert from the police logs. “Two men trying to steal a woman’s purse. Apparently one of the guys has a broken nose, and the other’s hand is completely shattered. I bet I know which one did which.” She gazed up at Al-Sahim, who smiled down at her.  


“So,” she said, adjusting her glasses, “that happened.”  


Al-Sahim’s smile lit his eyes. “I’m glad it did.” He said, his soft voice making Felicity’s heart do another flip.  


“I already hate what I’m about to say, but what happens next?” She asked him. He thought for a moment.  


“Go out to dinner with me.” He said earnestly. Felicity chuckled, then her eyes widened as she realized he was serious.  


“You know I would love to, but won’t you be noticed?” She asked him. He shrugged.  


“So we don’t stay here in town. We can drive a bit up the coast and find a place.” She stared at him.  


“You’re really serious.” She said. He nodded.  


“Felicity, I want to take you out on a proper date. Just the two of us, no looming threats, no interruptions from Sara and Nyssa. Just you and me.” His eyes bore into hers, imploring her to agree.  


“Okay,” She replied. “Let’s go on a date.” His smile was dazzling, as he enveloped her in a tight hug. She couldn’t help but smile just as wide as she hugged him back.  


“Okay,” he said, releasing her. “I’ll plan everything. I know you’re allergic to nuts, any other foods that you don’t like?” Felicity shook her head, laughing lightly at how giddy Al-Sahim was. She glanced at the clock on the microwave then, and her smile fell a bit. Al-Sahim noticed right away.  


“What?” he asked her.  


“It’s nothing bad, it’s just getting late, and I have to be up early tomorrow for work,” she replied, the disappointment showing through in her voice. “I’m sorry.”  


“Don’t be,” he responded immediately. “You should go to bed. Do you still get up at the same time as you used to?”  


“Yes, but I can already tell you’re planning breakfast in your head. Don’t do that. Focus on dinner, I’ll be fine grabbing something on my way in in the morning.” She replied sternly, pointing a finger at him. He looked a little disappointed, but that passed as Felicity reached up to kiss his rough cheek.  


“Goodnight, Al-Sahim.” She said quietly. He smiled at her.  


“Goodnight, Felicity.” He responded. She could feel his eyes on her as she went into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS, THEY FINALLY KISSED!!!!!!! I did say in the tags that this story would be the slowest of slow burns. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year, however you may celebrate. See you for the last 2 chapters in 2019!!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first date brings some very surprising changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back and Happy New Year! Here is the penultimate chapter of Part 2!

Felicity woke the next morning with a smile on her face. She touched her lips as she remembered the night before, then sat up and pulled her glasses on. Her apartment was quiet as she went into the bathroom to shower and get ready. She could, however, smell the coffee already brewing in her kitchen, so went there first. Her usual travel mug was sitting next to the percolating coffee maker, along with a note.  


‘Be home by 5. More instructions then. Have a great day! - O’  


Felicity was surprised at the end of the note, especially by him using an ‘O’ instead of something else. Leaving everything to finish, she hopped into the shower, quickly washing herself off. She pulled her wet hair back into a ponytail, already thinking about how she would wear it that night. After applying her makeup, she went into the bedroom to get dressed. Fully dressed, she went back into the kitchen to pour her coffee. She grabbed the note as well, and headed to the door, slipping on her jacket, heels and grabbing her purse.  


The ride in to work was uneventful, and soon Felicity was pulling into her parking space. Gathering her things, she bounded up the steps to the lobby and headed towards the elevator. She pushed the button and took a sip of her coffee. As she got off on the fourth floor, Gerry was there to greet her.  


“Morning, Gerry!” Felicity greeted happily.  


“Morning, Felicity,” Gerry replied, following her into her office. “Okay, so you have your Monday starter conference call with Walter in thirty minutes. Then at eleven you have a meeting with Ray, unless he comes in here early, then at two you have a supervisor meeting.”  


“Okay. Here’s the deal, Gerry, and I need you to listen carefully. I have a date tonight. A real, actual date. No, I’m not giving you any more details than that, don’t even try. Because of this, I need to be home tonight at five. Not five thirty, not six, five. I trust you to get me out this door at four thirty today. Do we have an agreement?” Felicity asked him, eyeing him over her coffee mug.  


“Absolutely. I will force you out this door myself. Can I at least ask who the lucky guy is?” Gerry asked, blocking Felicity’s calendar.  


“It’s someone I’ve known for a little while, and he finally asked me out.” Felicity replied, smiling to herself. Seeing that she really wasn’t going to give him any more information, Gerry left her office.  


Felicity kept busy the entire day, even though she kept daydreaming about her date later that night. She managed to keep Ray focused throughout the day, and had a productive supervisor meeting. It was four fifteen when Gerry poked his head in.  


“Fifteen minute warning.” He announced. She looked up at him gratefully as she quickly finished up her project. At four thirty on the dot, she was waving Gerry goodbye as the elevator doors closed.  


Felicity drove home as quickly as possible. She bounded inside, kicking her heels off by the door.  


“Al-Sahim?” She called out. He wasn’t there, but there was another note left for her on the kitchen island.  


‘I’ll be by to pick you up at six. Dress code is classy. See you soon. –O’  


She smiled, then went into the bathroom to get ready. She pulled out her ponytail, and turned her curling iron on. Carefully, she curled her long tresses section by section, brushing them out to large, flowy waves. She then put her contacts in, and touched up her makeup, adding darker eyeshadow and liner. Going into her bedroom, she changed out of her work clothes and stood in front of her closet for a moment, surveying her options. She pulled a red dress out, with a high square neckline and a low back. She changed her panties to a seamless pair, and finished zipping herself up. She pulled out a pair of red pumps and a small clutch from the bottom of her closet, then went to her dresser to grab earring and a necklace. She went back into the bathroom to apply a red lipstick. Putting the lipstick in her clutch, she took a step back and assessed herself in the mirror. She certainly felt classy, as she pulled her hair over one shoulder. She checked her phone and saw she had five minutes to spare.  


Staring at herself in the mirror, she took several deep breaths. She refused to let her nerves get in the way of the night, so she used the last few minute she had to do some deep breathing techniques. Even though Al-Sahim had basically been living with her, had cooked her food on several occasions, and was clearly interested in her, she was still worried. There was this tiny nagging voice in the back of her head that kept saying this would be their only date, because he’d be leaving her again. She quickly shut down that thought before all her abandonment issues rose to the surface and tried to drown her.  


Thankfully, her doorbell rang at that moment. Felicity couldn’t stop the smile that started growing on her face as she walked to the front door. She hoped that what she was wearing would wow Al-Sahim, and she was curious as to what he was wearing as well. She slowly opened the door.  


Al-Sahim was standing there, dressed in a sharp gray suit with a dark gray tie, holding a small bunch of sunflowers in his hand. His mouth opened slightly as his eyes widened, taking in her appearance, and making her blush furiously.  


“Felicity…” he breathed out, finally blinking and recovering his power of speech, “wow. You look absolutely amazing.” Realizing he was holding the flowers, he held them out to her. “These are for you.”  


Graciously, Felicity took the flowers from him. “Thank you. You look incredible as well, I mean, really.” She managed to stop herself before babbling any further. “Let me just put these in a vase, and then we can go, okay?” She asked, taking a step back from the open door to let Al-Sahim into the apartment. She turned and went into her kitchen, pulling out a vase from under the sink. She quickly filled it with water and placed the sunflowers into it, their vibrant yellow color instantly brightening the room. She went back to the entryway and grabbed her ID, credit card, and keys out of her purse, putting them into her clutch. She also grabbed a shawl from the coat rack and wrapped it around her bare arms.  


“Ready?” Al-Sahim asked. Felicity nodded, and Al-Sahim gestured for her to exit. Taking the keys from her, Al-Sahim closed her apartment door and locked it. He guided her down the stairs to the street, where Felicity saw the black SUV they had used when they were first together.  


“This will be a lot more comfortable than your car. Or my bike.” He said, opening the passenger door for her. She smiled and climbed in, adjusting herself comfortably in the seat. Al-Sahim climbed into the driver’s side.  


“It’s going to be about a forty-five minute drive to get there, okay?” He asked, pulling out and heading down the street.  


“It’s fine, as long as you tell me where exactly we’re going.” Felicity responded, her voice teasing him gently.  


“We’re going to a little Italian place I found. You like Italian right? Everyone loves Italian.” His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.  


“I thought I was the one who babbled here.” Felicity teased him, chuckling. “And yes, I love Italian.” She smiled over at him, which instantly made him relax. He guided the car onto the highway heading north. There was already light music playing on the radio, and Felicity turned it up a bit as she watched the scenery pass by. The silence was comfortable, if not a bit awkward from the nerves radiating from both of them.  


“So, what did you end up doing today?” Felicity asked him, to break a bit of the tension.  


“Well, I went for a run this morning right before you woke up, and I got back after you had left. Then I went to train with Sara and Nyssa for a bit, before leaving to get the car and my suit,” he shifted in his seat, adjusting his tie with one hand. “I went back to the safehouse to get ready, then I came to get you.”  


“And how badly did Sara and Nyssa tease you about all this?” Felicity asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He gave an exaggerated sigh.  


“You have no idea. There was childish singing and taunting. And a surprising amount of it was from Nyssa.” He replied. Felicity laughed. As closed off as Nyssa appeared, Felicity could tell she had a sharp wit, and a very dry sense of humor. They continued the rest of the drive quickly, with Felicity telling Al-Sahim about her own day. Soon, they were pulling into a small parking lot next to an old brick building, the name Bello written across the overhang. Al-Sahim went around the car to help Felicity out, and let his hand rest on her back as he escorted her into the restaurant.  


“Reservation under Smoak,” he told the hostess. Felicity eyed him and he just shrugged at her. “Made sense.” He murmured to her, as the hostess led them to a quiet table in the corner of the restaurant. He held out the chair for Felicity to sit in, then went around the table and sat down across from her. The hostess handed them each a menu, then left them alone. Felicity gazed down at the menu, surveying her choices. An older gentleman came over to wait on them.  


“Good evening. Can I start you two off with something to drink?” He asked them. Felicity glanced at Al-Sahim.  


“I think we’ll have a bottle of the Chianti.” Al-Sahim replied. Felicity’s heart fluttered at how calm and in control he seemed to be. The waiter nodded and left to get the bottle.  


“Is that okay? I’m sorry, I forgot to ask.” Al-Sahim said immediately. Felicity smiled.  


“It’s perfect, thank you.”  


“I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Am I being crazy? I mean, what do we have to be nervous about?” He asked, huffing in embarrassment as he ran a hand down his tie. Felicity pulled a piece of her hair back behind her ear.  


“Well, we’ve already exhausted every topic that one would normally talk about on a first date. And a second date. And a third date, and most dates, actually. And I’ve already seen you shirtless. Multiple times. Shirtless all the time.” She trailed off, her face flushing in embarrassment as she reached back to play with her hair again.  


Luckily at that moment, the waiter returned with the bottle of wine. He presented it to Al-Sahim to inspect, then quickly opened it and poured a taste out for him. Al-Sahim swirled his glass then took a sip, nodding at the waiter that it was good. The waiter poured a full glass for him and Felicity, then put the bottle in a stand next to the table.  


“I’ll give you another moment to peruse the menu. Let me know if you have any questions.” The waiter said, then turned and left them alone again. Al-Sahim raised his glass.  


“How about a toast?” He asked her, eyes shining. Felicity smiled and raised her glass, remembering their last toast.  


“What should we toast to this time?” She asked him.  


“To us.” He said simply. “That we can be here, together. With no interruptions. And no more nerves. I think we can move past that now, what do you say?” Felicity nodded, and gently clinked her glass against Al-Sahim’s. She took a small sip, letting the flavor of the wine coat her tongue before she swallowed. It was a delicious wine, and she had to remember that Al-Sahim had probably grown up knowing a lot about wine to be a good judge of makers and vintages. Placing her glass back on the table, she smiled brightly at Al-Sahim, then went back to looking at her menu. A few minutes later the waiter returned.  


“And what will we be having this evening?” He asked, placing a small basket of bread down in between them.  


“I’ll have the eggplant parm, please.” Al-Sahim said. Felicity looked up.  


“I’ll have the butternut squash ravioli, thank you.” She said, handing the waiter her menu.  


“Very good.” The waiter responded, then left again.  


“I’m surprised you picked that.” Al-Sahim commented.  


“Just because I don’t have them often in my house doesn’t mean I don’t eat vegetables, Al-Sahim. And I happen to really like butternut squash ravioli.” She countered.  


“Oliver.” He corrected her quietly. She looked at him, surprised. He looked up from his hands on the table.  


“I’ve been thinking,” he began, slowly. “When you’ve gone through what I have, it’s hard to want to hold on to the person you used to be. Being in the League, it changes you. I always thought the best way to embrace the change was to completely immerse myself in being Al-Sahim. I suppressed any part of myself that was even the tiniest bit Oliver. For as much as Sara still calls me Ollie, it wasn’t who I was anymore. That’s one of the reasons I rose so high in the League. When you let go of your humanity, basically, you stop seeing people as people. And when that goes on for as long as it has, you only see potential threats, or targets. Being Al-Sahim allowed me to be the most objective I could be, so that I could complete my assignments without any mental or emotional repercussions. And I would have continued on that way, if I hadn’t met you.” He looked at her intently, and she bit her lip and nodded for him to continue.  


“At first, you were just an assignment. I realized Ra’s was testing me, because everything was somehow tied into my family. I made a point of being as distant as possible.”  


“Yea, you refused to speak any English.” Felicity agreed, taking a sip of her wine. Al-Sahim nodded.  


“I thought it would be best. You’d get the information Ra’s needed, he’d send you home, and I could go back to forgetting that part of my life. But then we had to come back here and break into Merlyn Global. Suddenly, things started to change without me realizing. I realized that I was seeing you as less of a threat, and more of a real person. There was just something about you.” He let out a huff, and smiled at her.  


“You just accepted me for who I was. You had no idea of the person I was before, and for some reason you could see the good in the person I am. You broke through all my defenses, and I realized I wanted you to. I became this hybrid version of myself, still a strong League figure, but also someone who remembered the good parts of who he used to be. I think finding the Gambit, and seeing the TV footage of my family helped that. I still couldn’t come back, but I could use my memories of my family to push me to do some real good, and make some true changes.”  


“The day after we broke into Merlyn Global, where did you really go?” Felicity asked him. He had originally told her Ra’s had an errand to run, but she had a feeling he had lied to her. Al-Sahim took a sip of his wine before answering.  


“I went to my old house. I knew that everyone would be away at work or school, and there would only be a few workers there. I snuck in and walked around, looking at everything, trying to understand the person I used to be. My mom had left my bedroom completely untouched. Everything was still as I had left it. Then I followed Tommy around for a bit. He and Laurel went out to lunch together, and I just watched them. They are so happy together. I could never give that to her, Sara told you how we fought, and how I cheated. Tommy is the better man for her, and I’m glad for it. Seeing them together gave me a closure I didn’t realize I needed.”  


“So why you were so upset when Ra’s ordered you back to Nanda Parbat?” Felicity asked him.  


“Because before my father died, he told me he had failed this city. He begged me to right his wrongs. I didn’t know what he was talking about at the time. But then you showed me the pages of the book Walter had given you, and I recognized them from the same book I found on my dad when I was burying him on the island. I realized that my dad was involved with everything, and that Malcolm had tried to kill him. I needed to avenge my father, and Ra’s didn’t want that. He knew that if I lashed out, he would lose any control he had over me. That’s one of the reasons why he refused to let me out of his sight when I finally did return. He wanted to make sure I was still loyal to him.”  


“But he still sent you back here.” Felicity said, as Al-Sahim refilled her wine glass. He nodded.  


“Because he realized he didn’t have another choice. I was the only person who knew this city well enough to stop Merlyn. However, you remember Sarab?” she nodded. “Ra’s sent Sarab to keep an eye on me. That’s why he showed up at the safehouse after the Undertaking. Ra’s wanted to make sure I’d return, so sent Sarab to force me if necessary. I was already emotionally compromised after everything, you remember our conversation.” Felicity nodded, remembering him yelling at her about how Oliver Queen was dead.  


“I decided to completely become Al-Sahim in that moment, and to finally let Oliver go. I was too upset to realize at the time that I was lying to myself. I didn’t start to realize that until I was back in Nanda Parbat for good.”  


As he was finishing his statement, the waiter appeared with their meals. Felicity cut into one of her ravioli, letting the nutty flavor of the butternut squash hit her taste buds. Al-Sahim also took a break to drink his wine and eat. The food was delicious, and Felicity enjoyed every bite. Seeing as how her mind was constantly working, she thought over everything Al-Sahim had told her. He had opened up so much, but still hadn’t really explained his first statement.  


“So, I’m still a little confused,” Felicity finally admitted, putting her utensils down and taking a sip of her wine. “You left believing that you were going to completely jump into being Al-Sahim again. But now you’re not sure?”  


“No, I’m sure.” Al-Sahim responded. “I am Al-Sahim. I am a League member. But when I’m here with you, I’m something else. Someone else. Something more than just Al-Sahim. And I think I want to explore a bit more of who that person is, starting with my name,” he looked at her intently. “I want you to call me Oliver, instead of Al-Sahim.”  


Felicity stared at him. His posture was strong, and confident. His eyes shone with purpose, as he raised the corner of his lip in a half smile. She realized that this was probably the first choice that he had to make for himself in a while that didn’t come at the cost of death or injury to himself or others. It was a choice he was making freely.  


“Okay. Oliver.” She replied, and watched as his face lit up in a full smile. He carefully reached for her hand across the table and held it, his thumb running across the top of her hand as it always seemed to do. They sat there in their own little bubble for a few long moments before the waiter re-appeared to clear their plates.  


“Will we be wanting to see a dessert menu tonight?” The waiter asked. While Felicity’s eyes lit up at the thought of dessert, Oliver shook his head.  


“No, thank you. Just the check will be fine.” He looked at her and winked, so she knew he had something planned. The waiter nodded, and headed to get the check.  


“Dinner was amazing, thank you.” Felicity said to him gratefully.  


“You’re welcome, but it’s not over just yet.” Oliver replied, squeezing her hand. The waiter returned with the bill.  


“I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.” He said to them, nodding. They thanked him as he left. Oliver glanced at the amount, then pulled some cash out of his pocket and put it on top of the check.  


“Ready?” He asked her. Felicity nodded. Oliver got up and helped her out of her seat, waiting for her to wrap back up in her shawl. Putting his hand again on the small of her back, he led her out of the restaurant. Once on the sidewalk, he interlaced their fingers together.  


“Let’s take a walk.” He said simply, and started leading her down the quiet street. Felicity pulled herself closer to him as they walked, simply enjoying being with Oliver in the moment. The night was cool and cloudless, with dried leaves floating past the couple as a light breeze moved the trees that lined the street. Heading down a few blocks, Oliver slowed as they approached an ice cream shop that was still open.  


“Feel like dessert?” Oliver asked Felicity. She laughed and nodded, entering the store as Oliver held the door open for her.  


The two teenage girls behind the counter were on their phones, but put them away as soon as Felicity and Oliver walked in. Knowing exactly what she wanted, Felicity ordered.  


“Hot fudge sundae with mint chip, please. No nuts or whipped cream.” She said happily to one of the girls.  


“Just a single scoop of mint chip for me.” Oliver added. Felicity turned to him.  


“Just one scoop? Really?” She asked him. He nodded.  


“I haven’t had ice cream in a while, and I don’t want to upset my stomach.” He explained, walking over to the other girl to pay. Felicity nodded, satisfied with the answer, and smiled in thanks at the girl who handed over both cups to her. She went to sit down at a small table in the corner as Oliver finished paying. Felicity could tell the girls thought he was cute, they started giggling and whispering to each other as he walked away from them. He sat down and took a bite of his ice cream.  


“So, what do you think?” Felicity asked him, taking another bite of her sundae. He contemplated his bite for a moment, then swallowed.  


“Just as good I remember. This place has especially good mint chip.” He replied, taking another bite. Felicity nodded as she continued eating.  


“I agree. It’s really good.” They ate in silence, Oliver finishing well before Felicity. As she was finishing, he raised his hand and gently wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb.  


“You had a little chocolate there.” He said simply, licking his thumb clean. Felicity’s face flushed, her eyes growing wide at his action. He tried to be nonchalant about it, but she could see the twinkle in his eye. She could feel a heat rising from deep within her as she tried to keep calm.  


“All done?” he asked. Nodding, Felicity stood up and re-adjusted her shawl as Oliver took their trash to throw away. He nodded to the two girls behind the counter as they walked out.  


Felicity linked her arm through Oliver’s as they walked back to the car. He smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. He once again opened the door for her when they got to the car, waiting for her to be settled before closing it and getting into his side. He pulled out of the parking lot, and reached across the center console for her hand, holding it the whole way back to her apartment.  


As they walked through the door of Felicity’s apartment, she immediately kicked her heels off and sighed with relief. She heard Oliver chuckle behind her as he closed and locked the door.  


“There’s just something about taking your shoes off, you know?” She asked him, watching as he removed his suit jacket. His tie, which he had loosened on the drive home, was next to come off.  


“I totally understand,” he replied. “It’s the same with this thing. I’ve never been comfortable wearing one.”  


“Such a shame, you look so good in them.” Felicity told him, as he moved closer to her.  


“You think so?” He asked, gently grabbing her by the waist. She nodded.  


“Definitely.” Her arms went around his neck as she leaned up in his waiting kiss.  


The kiss started off soft, but quickly built some heat. Oliver’s tongue gently licked across the seam of Felicity’s lips, and she parted them to allow access. Their tongues tangled, the taste of mint still lingering in both their mouths. Oliver pulled her even closer to him with a soft noise. Felicity melted into his embrace, her fingers dancing lightly against the short hairs on the back of his head. They kissed for several minutes, until finally Oliver pulled gently back, with a series of soft pecks. They both caught their breath, eyes still closed as they remained wrapped around each other.  


“As much as I would love to continue this,” Oliver whispered, “and trust me, I do, it’s getting late.” He glanced over at the clock on the microwave. Felicity opened her eyes as blue met blue.  


“Yea. And I still have work in the morning.” She softly agreed. Oliver kissed her forehead, then untangled himself from her.  


“I’ll let you get ready for bed then.” He said.  


She pursed her lips and nodded, taking one step back, then another, until she stood in the bathroom doorway. Oliver’s hands were in his pockets, and his head was tilted, still smiling at her with a look of total adoration on his face. Felicity felt herself blush again, but ducked into the bathroom, closing the door and getting herself ready for bed. She removed her contacts and washed her face, putting her glasses back on as she brushed her teeth. She brushed her hair out, then changed out of her dress into the pajamas that were hanging off the back of the door. She looked at herself once more in the mirror, and barely recognized herself. Who was this girl who couldn’t get the smile off her face, no matter how hard she tried? She couldn’t believe everything that had happened tonight. Oliver opening up to her, their date in general, the kiss… Felicity made a giddy noise before taking a breath and opening the bathroom door.  


Oliver had also changed into his pajamas and was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels. He jumped up when Felicity emerged, however, and went to meet her in the hall.  


“Ready for bed?” He asked her, leaning against the wall. She nodded.  


“Thank you for tonight, Oliver. It was incredible.” She said, smiling up at him. He beamed, and leaned in for a soft kiss.  


“Sleep well, Felicity. I’ll see you in the morning.” He said, hands grasping hers and squeezing them gently.  


“Goodnight, Oliver.” Felicity murmured, slowly pulling away and stepping backwards into her room, his soft smile the last thing she saw as she closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Oliver! I hope I did their first date justice, I'm not used to Oliver talking so much in one chapter! There's one chapter left, and then there's probably going to be a break for a bit before Part 3 comes out, because I'm still not finished with it. I at least am headed down the home stretch, but I have a bit of editing to do, and I like having everything written before I start posting. See you all on Thursday!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 concludes, with some very interesting results.

Felicity woke the next morning to both her alarm blaring and to the smell of coffee wafting down the hall and underneath her closed door. She blearily got up and stumbled into the bathroom to shower. She left her hair alone, pulling it into her customary ponytail, the ends wavier than usual, but still looking good. Makeup quickly applied, she put her bathrobe on to go back into her bedroom, and stood in front of her closet for several minutes, trying to find an outfit to wear. As if on cue, Oliver appeared in her bedroom doorway, holding a mug of coffee in his hand.  


“Good morning.” He greeted, smiling at her and holding out the coffee. Felicity grabbed it and took a sip, sighing as the warm liquid ran down her throat. She took two more sips before she was completely coherent.  


“Morning,” she finally greeted Oliver, turning her head to smile at him as he leaned against the door frame. “Thank you for the coffee.”  


“Of course,” he replied. “I made pancakes for you if you have time this morning.” Felicity glanced over at her clock.  


“If I don’t take forever to pick something to wear, I should have just enough time.” She said. He looked at her closet and pointed.  


“Go with the purple one,” he suggested, then gave her a wink. “I’ll be in the kitchen.” He turned and closed the door behind him, allowing Felicity some privacy as she changed.  


She smiled to herself, taking another sip of her coffee before pulling out the suggested dress. Nodding in agreement with the choice, she put her coffee on the nightstand and quickly changed into the dress. She smoothed everything down, then grabbed her mug and went into the kitchen, where Oliver was separating plates of pancakes. She put her mug on the table and wrapped her arms around his side as he finished putting the plates down.  


“Thank you for the suggestion. And again for the coffee.” She tilted her head up to him, as he leaned down to give her a gentle peck.  


“Of course,” he replied, smiling. “Now sit down and eat before everything gets cold.” Reluctantly letting go of him, she sat down and dove into her plate. Oliver sat down and started eating as well, but not as quickly as Felicity was.  


“Sorry,” she apologized, “I just don’t want to be late for work.” He nodded.  


“I totally understand.” He replied.  


“What are you planning on doing today?” She asked him. He shrugged.  


“I don’t know yet. We’ll see.” He said vaguely. Felicity raised an eyebrow at him, but he said nothing. She glanced at the clock, and saw it was time to leave.  


“Okay, I have to go. I’ll see you tonight?” She asked him, standing from the table and going over to him.  


“I’ll see you tonight.” He replied, leaning up to kiss her goodbye. She smiled as they parted.  


“I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of that,” she sighed. She gently patted his shoulder. “Okay, I’m off.” She quickly went to the front door and slipped her heels on and grabbed her purse. Waving goodbye to Oliver one more time, she quickly left and ran to her car.  


Gerry raised an eyebrow at Felicity as she basically floated into the office.  


“Your date went that well?” He asked her, following her into her office as usual.  


“You know when everything just fits? Like you feel you’ve known a person forever, and they just seamlessly assimilate into your life?” She asked, sitting down at her desk. “That’s what this is like.”  


“Wow, makes me very jealous. I want a guy like that,” Gerry replied. “But are you ready to come back to earth and get to work? Your day is pretty jam packed, Walter will be here in twenty minutes for a meeting with you and Ray about the PalmSmart launch, and then you have several one on ones with your employees today. And I’m assuming I’ll have to order you in lunch?” He asked her. Felicity sighed as she saw the eighty two emails waiting for her.  


“Yea, you probably should. Thank you, Gerry.” He turned and left as she started reading through her emails. There were several issues with two of her projects, and Ray had started sending her over all the schematics for the battery he wanted to develop next. She also had an alert that someone had tried infiltrating their system overnight. It was fairly common for hackers to try and breach the firewalls, but this hacker had gotten pretty far in, so that’s why she was alerted. She marked it as a priority to look at during the day.  


There was a knock on her door, and she looked up to see Walter entering, Gerry not far behind. In his hands Gerry was carrying a vase with sunflowers in it.  


“Good morning, Felicity,” Walter greeted. He watched as Gerry placed the flowers on Felicity’s desk. “What’s the occasion for the beautiful flowers?” He asked. Felicity looked to Gerry.  


“Some super-hot guy in a hat just delivered them. There’s a note, I didn’t read it.” Gerry told them, then went back to his desk. Flushing, Felicity pulled the note out of the flowers.  


‘A little something to brighten your day like you’ve brightened mine. –O’  


“I had a date last night. It went really well.” Felicity carefully explained to Walter, mindful of not saying too much about Oliver to him.  


“I’m very happy for you, Felicity. You deserve to enjoy yourself outside of work. I know I ask a lot of you here.” Walter replied kindly. She smiled at him as Ray bounded into the room.  


“Good morning everyone! Oh, nice flowers Felicity. Are we going to meet here or go to the conference room?” He enthused.  


“Let’s go to the conference room.” Felicity replied, standing and following the men out of her office, her fingers trailing over the petals of one of the flowers as she went.  


The rest of Felicity’s day was difficult. She had several one on one meetings with her employees, which were very productive, but each revealed something that she had to make a note of to take care of afterwards. Then she tackled the various project issues, diving deep into the code of one project to find the error to fix it. She managed to surface briefly as Gerry brought her food, but then ended up being sucked back into a different issue. Finally at six Gerry stood in her doorway.  


“Are you going home soon? It’s six o’clock, and you’ve been working nonstop.” He noted. Felicity sighed.  


“Yea, I wanted to get this finished by now, but it’s going to take longer than I thought. Someone got in here and really made a mess of all this code.” She saved her work, sighing heavily.  


“Well, now at least you can go home and call your new beau, tell him all about your day.” He suggested, eyes wagging suggestively. Felicity smiled and shook her head at his antics.  


“Ha ha. Goodnight, Gerry.” She replied, pulling her jacket on and grabbing her purse. She waved goodbye to him and headed to the elevator. She tiredly climbed into her car and started her journey home. When she pulled into her parking space, she noticed the SUV was gone, but there was a light on in her apartment. She climbed the stairs and tried the door, finding it unlocked. She opened the door and was hit with the smell of curry coming from her kitchen. Smiling, she kicked off her shoes.  


“Oliver?” She called out, “I’m home!” She couldn’t deny the little thrill that went through her as she said those words. He appeared from the bathroom.  


“Hey, I didn’t know when you’d be back. How was your day?” He asked her, as she flopped onto the couch with a heavy sigh.  


“Long,” she responded, “there were so many issues that popped up today. Nothing red alert serious, but serious enough. I still have more to do tomorrow to fix them all.”  


Oliver came around the couch, a glass of wine in one hand, and a glass of water in the other. He placed both on the coffee table and sat down next to her.  


“Sorry to hear that. Sounds like a tough day.” She leaned towards him, resting her head on his shoulder and looking up at him.  


“Thank you for my flowers, though. They are very pretty.”  


“Of course.” He said, and she smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. Felicity decided that kissing Oliver was quickly becoming one of her favorite things to do. He was so gentle, and didn’t push it too far. She hummed happily as he pulled back from her.  


“I made chicken curry for dinner, but it’s not quite ready yet, if you want to go change or anything. And of course, here’s some wine.” She laughed as she reached out for her glass and took a sip.  


“I am seriously so spoiled. How did I get so lucky?” She asked.  


“I abducted you.” Oliver replied seriously, then broke out into a broad smile. They both laughed as Felicity settled into him more on the couch, sipping her wine as he moved his arm around her shoulders. Oliver reached for the remote and turned the TV on. Instantly, the news popped up.  


“District Attorney Adam Donner today stated that the city’s case against Moira Queen is ready to proceed. The trial was set to start at the beginning of November, but the prosecution is pushing for an earlier start date. If allowed, the trial would start sometime in the next two weeks. Moira Queen is currently being charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, as well as five hundred counts of involuntary manslaughter. We’ll keep you up to date with all the latest information, including trial coverage when it begins.”  


Felicity could immediately feel Oliver stiffen beside her, so she put a hand on his leg. “I saw Walter this morning, but he didn’t say anything. This must have happened this afternoon,” she looked up at him, “You okay?” He sighed and nodded his head.  


“There’s nothing I can do except let it run its course and hope for the best.” He replied. She leaned closer and kissed his cheek.  


“I’m sure it will be okay. I guarantee you she has the best lawyer money can buy.”  


“I wonder if Thea will come back for the trial,” he said. “You said she was in New York now?” Felicity nodded. “I guess we’ll find out. Did you want to change before dinner?” He asked her, shifting away to allow her up from the couch. Felicity nodded and put her wine glass on the coffee table.  


“Yes. I’ll be right back, okay?” She patted his leg as she stood, going to use the bathroom quickly before stepping into her bedroom to change. She threw on a pair of yoga pants and an oversized shirt before returning to the living room. Oliver was still watching TV, but had changed the channel to something else. She joined him again on the couch, cuddling up to him contently.  


“Is this weird?” She wondered aloud.  


“What do you mean?” Oliver asked.  


“It’s just, we’re so domestic already. You make me breakfast, I go to work, I come home and dinner’s being made… I don’t know, shouldn’t things be done differently?” Oliver shrugged.  


“I was always terrible at relationships, you know all about that. I think maybe because we started all this before we were a thing it just works. This is our normal.” He replied.  


“Are we just a thing, though? I mean, how do we even define this?” Felicity asked. Oliver chuckled.  


“Felicity, I’m technically dead, and a member of a covert organization. There is no possible way to define this.” He shifted so that they were looking straight at each other. “All I know is that I want to try this with you, and I hope you want to try with me too.”  


For a brief moment he looked unsure, until Felicity leaned over and kissed him. She tried to convey her feelings through her kiss, and it seemed like Oliver understood, because he immediately responded and deepened the kiss. Within moments, she was somehow lying on top of him on the couch, and they were making out like teenagers. Just as Oliver’s hands touched the bare skin of her lower back, a timer dinged. The broke the kiss, Felicity giggling slightly as Oliver chuckled.  


“That would be dinner. You hungry?” He asked, sitting them up.  


“Starving.” Felicity responded, as she got up and grabbed her wine glass. She sat down at the table as Oliver went to the stove and started plating the food. He brought over the bowls of steaming curry, then went into the oven and pulled out some naan bread. He placed the naan in a basket and brought it over to the table, grabbing a glass of water on the way. Felicity grabbed a piece and began eating, moaning softly at the explosion of flavors on her pallet.  


“Oh my gosh, this is so good Oliver,” she gushed, ripping a piece of naan and dipping it into the sauce. “Seriously, not even the Indian food place I get takeout from sometimes is as good as this.” He flushed slightly at her compliments, eating his own food. They ate in a comfortable silence, too occupied with their food to make small talk. Finally, Felicity pushed her bowl away from her.  


“Okay, I’m done. I can’t eat another bite. Unless it’s for leftovers.” She wagged her eyebrows at him, and he laughed.  


“There’s plenty for leftovers, don’t worry. You’ll be able to bring it with you for lunch, as long as you still have those containers.” Felicity nodded.  


“They’re all in the bottom cabinet.” He nodded, then stood to clear the table.  


“Do you want help this time?” Felicity offered. “I always feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I mean, you just cooked all this amazing food, and now you have to clean it all too?” Oliver waved her off.  


“Felicity, I really don’t mind. Plus, I like to keep busy. I’m still not comfortable just sitting around for long periods of time.” He answered. Felicity nodded.  


“Okay, well usually after dinner, or even during sometimes, I check my work email, so I’m going to do that now.” She went to sit at her computer.  


“You do work even when you get home?” Oliver asked. She nodded.  


“The life of a department head. Plus, when you work with someone like Ray Palmer, who never seems to sleep, especially when his fiancé is working a night shift, you get inundated with emails full of ideas and fixes to current projects. If I don’t respond, he’ll go ahead with them, and we don’t always have the means for him to just do what he wants.”  


“So you’re his babysitter.” Oliver concluded.  


“Not really,” Felicity responded. “I’m more of his reality check. I bring him back down from the clouds he floats on every day. I mean, some of his ideas are incredible, and would be amazing, but I have to remind him of budget and logistics, that kind of stuff. It sounds a lot like babysitting, but when you have someone who is just bursting with ideas, it’s good to let them get everything out, then work with what you have. It’s really paid off so far, our PalmSmart will be out on shelves in the coming weeks, and we just started on a really cool new project that could have a global impact if all goes well.”  


She continued going through all her emails as Oliver cleaned the kitchen. She had a system for all of Ray’s ideas. His feasible ones went into one folder, his crazier ones went into a different one, and she sorted all his fixes into their own project folders. Staying organized like this really helped in her day to day on the job, and helped if Ray ever brought up an idea again. She was reading through one of the last emails when she felt a strong pair of hands land on her shoulders and start rubbing gently.  


“Oh, that’s heavenly,” she sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing under Oliver’s ministrations. “Are you all done?”  


“Yup. Are you?” He asked her. She nodded.  


“Definitely.” She replied. Oliver pulled her from her chair, and brought her over to the couch. Felicity let out a small squeak as he pulled her down sideways into his lap.  


“I think we were doing something before dinner.” He remarked, his voice husky. Felicity couldn’t help but smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  


“I believe we were.” He pressed his lips to hers, and she eagerly returned the kiss.  


His arms were wound tight around her waist, one gently rubbing up and down her spine. Felicity felt like she was buzzed, even though she had only had one glass of wine. Oliver’s kisses were that intoxicating. They stayed entangled in each other until Felicity made a soft moan as Oliver pressed kisses down her neck. Suddenly, she was on her back on the couch, Oliver hovering above her. Her eyes widened in surprise as he swooped back in, attacking her mouth with a renewed intensity. He was careful not to completely settle his weight on top of her, and she wrapped a leg around his to allow him more purchase on the couch. Felicity’s hands started roaming over his back, catching on the soft material of his shirt. His lips once again started trailing down her neck as she gasped softly at the sensation of his stubble along her throat. One of her hands ended up under his shirt, and she could feel him falter as she gently danced her hand across his back. He pulled back a bit to look at her.  


“Is this okay?” She asked him. “I can stop if you want.” He shook his head, leaning down and pressing feather light kisses to her lips. Just as she was opening her mouth to deepen them again, there was a banging on her door. Startled, they flew apart, Felicity’s hands going to check her hair and glasses immediately. Oliver looked fairly rumpled, but managed to pull his shirt down as he jumped from the couch and went to look out the peep hole to see who it was. As Felicity sat up, she heard him growl lowly, then open the door.  


“I thought you two had left.” He stated lowly, as Nyssa and Sara pushed their way into the apartment. Sara took one look at the flushed expression on Felicity’s face and her eyes light up.  


“OH, Nyssa, we interrupted them. Sorry, Ollie. In my defense, I said we should have called first.”  


“This is a conversation that needs to happen directly, not over a phone,” Nyssa asserted. She rounded on Oliver as he finished closing the door. “We are scheduled to leave tomorrow morning. Father is demanding our return. All of us.” She crossed her arms and gave him a challenging look.  


Felicity’s mood went from high to low with just one remark. She could almost feel the sensation of a bubble bursting. She knew, she had always known, that this was a temporary thing, and that Oliver would be leaving. She knew, and she had let him sweep her off her feet, taking her out on a date, kissing her, everything. She felt a chill come over her as she realized that she would end up being a tryst, just another notch on Ollie Queen’s bed post. Or, not, since they hadn’t made it that far. Felicity wondered to herself if she would have actually let it get that far, or if she would have held back. It always seemed like there was another shoe dropping with them. She was so lost in her sudden dejection that she almost didn’t hear Oliver’s response.  


“Tell Ra’s that I’m staying here, “ his face was void of emotion as he stared Nyssa down.  


“That will be unacceptable.” Nyssa replied. Oliver shrugged.  


“I don’t care. He has no need for me to be back in Nanda Parbat other than to keep watch over me. My mother’s trial starts next week, and I intend on being here for it.” He stood behind Felicity on the couch, placing his hands on her shoulders in a silent solidarity with her. She knew he meant he wanted to stay and be with her too, but he didn’t want to voice it.  


“Ollie, are you sure? As much as I’m not thrilled to be returning, Nyssa is going to speak with Ra’s about my conditions of no longer killing. It would make everything easier if you were there in support.” Sara implored. Oliver again shook his head.  


“For right now, my place is here,” he looked at Nyssa. “I am still loyal to the League. I pledged my life, and I honor that commitment. But I need to do this.” Nyssa stared at him for a long time, then sighed and nodded.  


“Very well. I will inform father that you got a lead on Malcolm Merlyn and wanted to investigate it personally. I doubt he will have much issue with that. It is better than saying you were staying here for love.” Felicity blushed and looked down at her hands. The words were loaded, and all the little questions that had been in the back of Felicity’s mind started nagging at her again. Oliver squeezed her shoulders, as if he knew what she was thinking.  


Sara and Nyssa headed back towards the door. Sara turned to Felicity.  


“Will you keep an eye on my family for me? I’d feel better knowing you know what’s going on.” Felicity nodded.  


“Of course I will,” she replied. Sara nodded.  


“I do not know how long my father will allow this, Al-Sahim,” Nyssa intoned, “so I suggest you do what you need to as quickly as you can. Stay alert, and do not let yourself get soft. He has more eyes than you may think.” Oliver nodded at her warning, then the two women left. Felicity let out a sigh.  


“So, what now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exactly, so, what now? Well, like I've been saying, Part 3 is still being written, and if I actually sit down and force myself to finish it, I should hopefully have it done and edited in the next few weeks. I'll try to work as quickly as possible, because I know you are all going to want to know what happens next!!! As always, thank you all for your continued support of this series. I know I don't respond to comments, because I am terrible at accepting compliments, but I truly appreciate all the love and support you have shown for this story. You can always find me on Twitter to harass me about how the writing is going. Until Part 3!

**Author's Note:**

> So, Ray is an overeager puppy in my version of the story, and I've moved up the timetable for a lot of cannon moments. Also, I decided that Felicity's assistant's name starts with a G, because I like it better. See you on Thursday!


End file.
